


Suffer the Fray

by ravenreux



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Families of Choice, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, POV Multiple, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Sexual Tension, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2007-06-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 09:21:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 151,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7634803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenreux/pseuds/ravenreux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She asked him one question and ended up giving five years to come up with an answer. When Naraku returns, Kagome must return to the feudal era to fight alongside the hanyo that stole her heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic way back in 2007 - 9 years ago - and posted it on ff.net where it's sat unfinished for some time. I recently began to edit, rewrite, and update the 30+ chapters I've already written in order to clean it up, reorient myself with the story and finally finish it. I have a lot of love for this story and it deserves an ending after all this time; I wanted to share it on AO3 as well. 
> 
> This story contains multiple POVs and switches regularly between them - all tagged relationships are equally in focus, which why I have tagged them as not-background. I also started this story prior to the Final Act anime being released - though I did read the manga, I wanted to include anime-only characters, so this story stands as alternate "final act" and divergent from anime canon. This story is explicit in everything but sex and I will reiterate related tags and warnings in notes prior to each chapter to avoid triggering anyone.
> 
> Thanks and enjoy!

_“The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye. Love is hello and goodbye…until we meet again.” – Jimi Hendrix_

* * *

 

Even though she was smiling, the expression reached no farther than her lips. Her eyes glittered like a pair of umber gems and the cause wasn't the brilliant sunshine kissing her smooth cheekbones, but from the watery veil of unshed tears threatening to waterfall down her porcelain skin. A single wavy tendril escaped its confines behind her ear and swept across her profile in the breeze, snagging on her moistened lips as if it had suddenly dropped anchor.

He could see the inner struggle plainly in her face, urging herself not to reach up and tuck the rogue lock of hair back to where it belonged. It was a habit when she was upset or unsettled to tediously pick at herself or her clothing in order to soothe her frayed nerves. Realization hit at that moment, and he knew that by throwing away those idiosyncratic notions of control meant that this time was monumentally more serious than he'd first assumed. The idea sent his stomach rocketing upward and lodging tightly somewhere in the vicinity of his Adam's apple. There would be no compromise, no until-next-time, and that knowledge made him almost violently ill. He had to stiffen his spine and swallow awkwardly, sweat breaking out on his brow, just to stop himself from crumpling to the ground and retching right there in the grass.

If she'd noticed his panic at all, she didn't acknowledge it, and only continued to smile somewhat grimly at him. Then, almost like an afterthought, her eyes softened and a pair of liquid crystals slipped free.

The sight of them hit him like a swift kick in the gut – later he would realize a swift kick to the balls would have been much more appropriate, but she was never the type to hit below the belt. Outwardly, the only reaction he gave was the occasional held breath and flicker of his rich amber eyes. He knew his face was displaying the same devoid mask of expression he sported when confronting the multitude of violent demons one meets while on a quest for Sacred Jewel shards. It wasn't really a conscious decision on his part, more like a finely honed survival instinct. Showing any sort of emotion in battle could be deadly, but there was no fight here.

Now he needed those expressions more than anything, but all he seemed to manage was the same harshly, blank stare - one he knew Kagome could see right through.

Hesitantly, almost oddly tender, he reached out and rested his clawed fingers on her arm. "Kagome, I-" At the sound of his muted voice, she clamped her eyes shut, spilling more tears as she released a nearly silent sob. The hushed cry made his stomach roll and sent his heart skipping. Her pain was almost tangible and it tortured him to the depths of his soul to see her this way. "Please, Kago-"

She picked up her head and reached out with her free hand to delicately press her fingers to his mouth. "Don't." The reedy quality in her voice stilled any attempts of speech as he found himself dangling frantically in agonized suspense. Her touch was feather light and when she continued to speak, shifted into a fervent caress of his cheek with the petal soft pad of her thumb. "Don't speak an empty excuse in lieu of an honest answer." She pulled in a shaky breath. "It wouldn't be fair to either one of us." She pulled her hand back and wrapped it tightly around its partner as if to stop it from idle wanderings. "I don't want to leave-"

He lashed out and snatched her by the shoulders. "You're leaving?!"

She bit her lip and looked away, struggling to control her halting shivers. "Yes."

Her entire body was trembling beneath his touch and he suddenly realized his shout was more equivalent to a slap across the face. He gently loosened his grip, grimacing at the marks left on her clothes. He knew well that the fine claw marks had also reached down to her skin through the thin blouse. Bowing his head, he shut his eyes guiltily. "I apologize."

She sniffed delicately and softly massaged her shoulders. "It's alright, I'm not hurt."

"What the hell are you talking about?! I know that I just...” He blinked stupidly at her growing grin, “Practically...what?" The sadly affectionate smile on her face shut his mouth with an audible clip.

"Same old Inuyasha, indignant as ever." She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and fixed her gaze on the infamous prayer beads hung around his neck. "I'm always telling myself that it's one of your worst qualities, but I can't help but love it anyway. You wouldn't be you without it, and I..." She buried face against his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on as if her life depended on it.

He froze, suddenly unsure if he'd been meant to hear her murmured “love you”, then slowly brought his arms around to pull her against him tighter when he decided that she hadn't. "I wish you wouldn't go."

Her small hands fisted themselves in his fire-rat kimono as she let out a shuddering sigh and started to pry herself away. He memorized the feel of her in his arms for a moment before relenting and allowing her to step back. She didn't go far, staying close enough to rest her hands on his chest. "I have to go now, but I will be back." Her tone was pensive as her fingers ran back and forth on the surprisingly soft cloth. "I will see you again, and in time perhaps you will find the answer to my question."

It hadn't  _really_  occurred to him how beautiful she was until this moment. It amazed him just how loving and patient she could be at such a tragic moment – his own hurt felt as if it were suffocating him and he knew hers had to be infinitely more poignant. Blinking down at her, he felt a shock of fear at the idea of disappointing her a second time. "And what if it's still the wrong answer?"

The new wave of silent tears made him want to bite back his words. She worried her lower lip for a moment, and then just sighed. All the tension he felt vibrating through her slight body vanished in the span of a second – like she shut off some kind of internal energy switch. Smiling once more, she gazed up at him. "In time."

She shocked him further by then slipping her hands to his neck, leaning forward and claiming his mouth.

His eyes widened at her uncharacteristic boldness, but he quickly succumbed to her touch and shut his eyes. She kissed him softly, lips smooth as satin, and he allowed her this moment without moving but his own mouth pressing back. In the back of his mind he knew she needed this contact in order to let him go, and he mourned the thought. There was still a part of him that hoped she'd change her mind and stay. And, despite its chaste nature, her kiss heated his blood in a way that actually scared him. He chased after her taste as she pulled away. "Kagome..."

She managed to hold back fresh tears and slid her hands up to caress the velvety softness of his ears. The effect was instantaneous; his head drooped in pleasure and he sighed contentedly, nerves instinctually soothed. She knew just the right way to make relax. All the anxiety he felt melted away and his heart slowed down to a steady, almost lazy thump. The second after she was done, he'd curse her for rendering him so completely helpless from stopping her.

His head continued to droop until his ears were nearly level with her mouth. This time when she spoke, it was calm, clear, controlled, and uttered so tenderly it would haunt him for years. "Goodbye, Inuyasha."

When the warm, buzzing euphoria left him, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

_“I don’t know what they are called, the spaces between seconds – but I think of you always in those intervals.” – Salvador Plascencia, The People of Paper_

* * *

 

Her leather-sheathed fingers squeezed rhythmically with each stride, the subtle movement gathering more energy than the last. The muscles of her lean lower legs anchored her to the barrel of her horse as the blood pounded in her ears. Not even the solid thumping of the animal's hooves could break her intense focus on the coming obstacle. Tilting the slightest bit forward, she crouched in the saddle as the elegant bay's rippling haunches tucked under preparing to spring. The animal's sleek head lifted, its sharp mahogany eyes trained on the fence, and swiveled a pair of crisp curved ears to attention.

Blowing excitedly, the dark bay horse snapped its lanky, black-accented forelegs into a neat, tight tuck, and launched itself into the air.

The muscles contracted explosively and the force sent her seat far enough out of the saddle to hover over his withers. Pressing her hands alongside his neck, she let him jump up to meet her and perched easily in the stirrups as he continued to arc over the fence. His hindquarters snapped up with equal pizzazz and she stretched out her arms to follow his motion. He extended his enormously long legs and quickly flew the last few feet to drop back to the packed clay footing of the arena. As she felt the shock of the landing jar through her joints, Kagome finally remembered to breath.

She relaxed back into the tack as Akai cantered around the short side of the rectangular arena, neck arched like a candy-cane and snorting with pleasure. She gently massaged the reins until the horse pranced down to a prowling walk. The adrenaline was still buzzing through her system and it would be at least five more minutes before it ebbed completely; no matter the degree of difficulty or the size of the course, each and every ride was a thrill. The almost euphoric hum in her head finally started to filter away and she heard her name being called.

"Kagome!" She turned around in the saddle and saw Eri jogging toward her from the spectator's booth outside the white, triple-board arena fencing. "Kagome, that was amazing! Your riding is brilliant!"

A few years ago those comments might have influenced her cheeks to redden, but hearing the same compliments, regardless of their variation, again and again had dulled her modesty a bit. "Thanks." Reining her mount to a halt, she swung her leg up over Akai's rump and slipped out of the saddle. Akai, pleased with his work, snorted playfully and craned his head around to nuzzle her shoulder as she ran up the irons up their leathers. Kagome rubbed his damp muzzle and smiled. "Akai did most of the work though."

Eri laughed and gestured toward the course. "That's the biggest course you guys have tackled so far, and in record time I might add. I highly doubt Akai could have gone clean with any other rider."

Kagome slipped the reins over the bay sport horse’s head and glanced at the fences she'd just been launched over. Each one stood close to five feet high, some nearly four feet wide as well, and completely undisturbed. To anyone who hadn't been watching, it looked as if no one had even ridden a horse out there. She smiled and scratched the sweaty horse's forehead. "Yeah, we make a pretty good team." She turned and started for the barn, Akai strolling leisurely beside her.

Eri joined her on the opposite side and crossed her arms. "Pretty good? That was a whole lot better than 'pretty good'." She lightly rested a hand on her shoulder. "I seriously think you should consider riding professionally."

Kagome tittered, and then stopped. When had she started tittering? Shaking her head, she stopped at the arena exit and felt the balled up clay crunch under her boot heels. "Nah, it's just a hobby."

"You say that about everything you're good at.” Eri rolled her eyes and followed them out the gate, latching it shut behind her. “It makes the rest of us feel like a support group for lost causes."

Kagome sighed. She was right. She  _did_  say that about everything.

Horseback riding?

Just a hobby.

Archery?

Just a hobby.

Martial Arts?

Just a hobby.

"I don't know, I just don't think I'd like this as a career."

"I don't want to offend you," Eri's light touch on her elbow made her stop. "Sorry in advance if I do, but it seems like you don't take anything seriously anymore." Her gaze was heavy with worry and when Kagome didn't respond, she let go and glanced at her watch. "I'm really sorry, but I gotta go. Thanks for inviting me today, I'll call you later." She turned and walked off.

"Okay." She said the goodbye absently. Her brain was still trying to comprehend what had just been said. Kagome had it on pretty good authority that she took a lot of things seriously, most of them just didn’t happen to be relevant to this particular world. If Eri and the others knew the truth, they would probably sing a different tune, but Kagome had made the choice to leave them in the dark and had to suck it up and deal with consequences of her decision.

Akai bumped her with his muzzle and she looked up. "Huh?"

The bright red brick of the barn smiled back at her and she realized that she must have kept walking while communing in her head. Snorting at her absurdity, she led the tall, leggy gelding into the barn and unsaddled him. The autumn air was cool, so she opted to forgo hosing him down. Instead, she found a thick, soft rag and proceeded to rub down every glossy inch of him. Akai occasionally made soft grunting sounds of pleasure and they brought a smile to her lips. She may not have dreams of Olympic equestrian gold, but she did take her horse's comfort seriously – that was something at least.

When his umber coat met to her standard of shine potential, she unhooked the ties from his sturdy leather halter and relished the echoing clip of his steel shod hooves as she led him down the concrete aisle way. The slight chirp of metal on cement reminded her of the sparrows that nested outside her dormitory window and their music always had a way of uplifting her spirits.

Kagome was smiling warmly when she closed Akai's stall door behind him. The horse circled around and nickered, as if to say,  _“You should smile more often.”_

Kagome gazed at him thoughtfully, fiddling with his charcoal black forelock as he nibbled the grain in his feeder. She supposed he was right. There was so much for her to be happy about, but she never seemed to find joy anymore. The last five years of her life had been spent in a sort of hazy limbo- like she was just floating along with the current and passing the time.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, but it wasn't supposed to last this long."

Akai cricked an ear in response.  _“Uh, huh.”_

"It was only supposed to be two years." Only two years of prescribed waiting, not five. Could Kaede have been wrong? Her hand subconsciously rested over the open neck of her blouse, where the last jewel shard hung on a small black cord. When Kaede had told her Naraku's hibernation would last no more than two years, she'd thought that even that felt too long. It just didn't seem logical for such a strong demon, but  _five years_?

The feeling it gave her could only be described as spiritual nausea, a foreboding so strong it went past the physical and emotional planes. "Something is going to happen soon, I just know it."

The great bay horse stopped eating his dinner and peered at her with big brown eyes filled with worry.

Kagome scratched his ears until her long time riding partner relaxed and went back to his food. "You're such a sweet boy, Akai. I'll miss you when I leave." She knew he wouldn't understand, and the thought of not seeing him again hurt, but it was all she could do now.

Turning away, she unclipped the chin strap and pulled off her helmet as she left the barn for the parking lot. The red subcompact parked in the shade of the tall oak wasn't her own, but her mother's. Kagome hardly ever drove anywhere, finding it easier just to walk to most places, but thought it prudent to get her license anyway. It was a convenience her mother had taken advantage of now that she was older, and it made caring for her elderly grandfather less of a hassle.

She could hear a faint tune playing over the gravel crunching under her riding boots and she realized it was her cell phone ringing. “Crap _._ ” Dashing to the car, she yanked open the door and tossed her helmet into the backseat. The ringing continued and she rummaged through her backpack until she produced the slim, trilling device. Swiping the screen to accept the call too fast to catch who it was, she set it against her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kags!"

Her frazzled nerves wilted and she slipped into the driver's seat. "Hey, Hōjō." Her lack of enthusiasm at hearing the excitement in his tone was appalling; she had no idea what he had to be so chipper about all the time.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" It was mildly interrogative, and she could just imagine him rubbing his hands together like the schemer he was.

"Why?" She sagged in the seat after shutting the door, knees bumping the steering wheel. If past indicators were any clue, she was dreading what he was about to tell her.

"There's a new club opening up tonight and I wanted to take you."

Fears fully realized, Kagome bit her lip regretfully. "I'd love to, but I’m pretty tired. My ride didn't go so well and I'd like to just go home and relax." God, could that lie get any more blatant? Anyone who knew her knew she  _did not_  have bad rides, and wouldn't the guy she'd been dating for a year  _know_  her?

"Oh, alright." She could feel the disappointment in his voice and felt like slamming her head against the steering wheel until it knocked some sense into her. "I'll just find someone else then."

"I'm sorry, Hōjō. I'll talk to you tomorrow, maybe we can do something then."

His sigh was heavy. “Sure, okay.”

“Bye, Hōjō.” She disconnected and threw the phone into the passenger seat with disgust. She'd never been the type to blow people off, but it was becoming a habit of which she was overwhelmingly guilty.

She turned the key and listened to the little four-cylinder engine turn over. She belted herself in with a click, her movements slightly robotic, and backed out of the space. The drive to Higurashi Shrine was scenic, but short, and she pulled up the hidden driveway twenty-five minutes later.

The place hadn't changed at all, maybe a bit more worn, but otherwise untouched. The rest of the family still lived in the tiny house out behind the shrine – including her younger brother Sōta, who, at the moment was reclining on the front step beside a large silver-white Akita and a very familiar tortoise-shell cat.

Grinning despite her glum mood, she parked and picked up her bag from the passenger seat, calling to them as she got out of the car. "How's Buyo today?" The tubby cat bounded off the porch and set to twining between her legs, purring loudly. She laughed and knelt to scoop him up and squeeze. "I guess that answers my question."

Lugging the cat with her, she moved and sat down beside her brother. "What are you doing home, Sōta? I thought you'd be out with your friends on a Friday night."

He leaned back onto his elbows and studied her for a moment. "Nah, I've got a big game tomorrow morning. I need my beauty rest."

She rubbed the bases of Buyo's ears and smiled wryly. "I'm sure." She smirked over her shoulder at him. "So, what's this rumor about a soccer star heartthrob who lives at a shrine?"

A wee bit of red tinged his cheeks and she could see what was setting all the teenage girls aflutter; poor little Sōta was the new 'Hōjō' around town. He flopped flat on his back, arms flung out beside him. "I can't believe you heard that." He scrubbed his hands over his face. "It's so embarrassing."

Kagome laughed and twisted around to face him. "Hardly." It felt good to laugh and she relished the tingling burn it ignited in her belly. She was too out-of-touch with her emotions most of the time, caught up in the daily grind. "Try having your teenage reputation plagued by gout and rheumatism."

He snorted, nodding and sending his short cap of black hair bouncing in time. "Point taken. I'd much rather steal hearts than passes to the nurse."

Their laughter lasted a little bit longer and they took a moment to recover in the peaceful silence that followed. The evening sun drifted lower in the sky, casting the yard with a warm saffron glow. Kagome felt a pang of nostalgia and found herself staring at the building across the way – the one with the Bone Eater's Well inside.

How many times had she sat watching the sunset beside  _him_? How many times had she leaned against  _his_  strong back with her hands fisted in  _his_  fire-rat haori, watching the sun go down across the horizon?

A tingling sensation danced along her fingers and it was as if she could actually touch him. She could feel the warmth of his body under her touch and her hands tightened involuntarily. Buyo yowled and dashed out of her grip, immediately cleaning the tender spots where her fingers had hurt him.

She jerked out of her trance and blinked down at her hands. It wasn't Inuyasha's warmth, but her cat's, and the notion made her feel incredibly stupid. "I'm sorry, Buyo." The cat sent her a baleful look and she sighed in defeat. 

Sōta noticed her forlorn gaze towards the well. "Are you ever going back?" The dog, who had been lounging in a sprawl of limbs, finally moved, hopping off the step and blinking at her hopefully.

She stared into those bright amber eyes that were so familiar and nodded. "Soon."

The snowy dog shook his head disapprovingly and uttered a single, reproachful bark. Sōta sat up and watched the dog curiously. "How soon?"

Kagome leveled the dog with a hard stare. "I don't know, but soon." The dog bowed down on his forepaws, haunches up with his thick tail waving from side to side. The playfully daring gleam in his eyes was almost too painful to bear. "It's hanging over me like a thundercloud, just waiting for the right moment to downpour on me."

Diving forward, the big Akita snatched her hand gently in his jaws, giving a soft tug.

Her stare shifting into a glare. "Let go." He growled softly with displeasure, but released her hand. She rubbed her stinging limb and merely observed his childish pout as he lay at her feet with amusement. It was textbook Inuyasha behavior.

Standing up, she turned toward Sōta. "It's getting late, I should get going."

The teenager jumped to his feet, quick as a cat. "Wait!" He grabbed her forearm. "Mom wants you to stay tonight and have dinner with us."

Kagome smiled. "Is it really Mom that's asking? Or you?"

He let go and crossed his arms with a huff. "It was Mom! She would've asked you herself if she hadn't needed to run to the store."

She watched him stomp back into the house and wondered fleetingly why all the males she knew seemed so ready to devolve into put upon huffing around her. "I'll stay, I'll stay." She stepped into the doorway, hesitated, and turned to give a scolding glare. "I'll deal with you later, Inusaiai."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Akai" translates to "red"  
> "Inusaiai" translates to "beloved dog"


	3. Chapter 3

_“Demons are like obedient dogs; they come when they are called.” – Rémy de Gourmont_

* * *

 

The drop was horrendous. Just the thought of being elevated to such heights was harrowing enough to incur a bout of nauseous vertigo. One wrong step and it would ultimately be a death sentence. The thickly woven grass grew right up to the edge of the cliff, the blades slick and shining in the moonlight; it definitely wasn't the footing of choice for the clumsy.

Lucky for him, heights weren't an issue.

Hallucinations, it seemed, were.

A gusty gale howled along the cliff side, sending the twin locks of silver hair along his face aflutter. The strength of it would have sent a normal mortal staggering under its power, but he merely continued to stare down into the valley, paying his surroundings no mind. His entire mind's attention was focused inward, replaying the bewildering episode of extreme déjà vu that had sent him to seek the solace of the rocky ledge.

" _Where do you want to camp for the night?"_

_He lazily cracked open a lone amber eye, peering down at his companion. "There's a meadow just up ahead, past the tree line."_

_The red-headed kitsune hopped forward. "What kind of meadow?"_

_He sighed. "A green one." He had a nagging suspicion that the fox yōkai was baiting him into conversation._

_Shippō scratched his head as he trotted down the worn path. "What kind of green?"_

" _What d'ya mean 'what kind'? A meadow is a meadow." The pointlessness of the line of questioning was beginning to irritate him._

_Shippō, of course, was oblivious. "You know, like a flowery one, or a grassy one."_

_He stared at him like he'd sprouted three heads. "Why the hell is it so important?"_

_The hurt scowl on the boy's face made him want to bite back his harsh words. "I'm just tired of staring at trees all day long." He returned to his trudge, kicking a stray rock for emphasis. "Relax, will ya? It was only a question."_

_More like a parade of them, but he conceded the fact that he was being a bit overzealous with the temper. "It's a grass meadow, alright?"_

_It was the best apology he was going to get and the kitsune knew it. "I know you're sorry, Inuyasha.' He peeked over his shoulder with a wicked grin as if he'd planned the entire debacle from the start._

_He shook his head with a "feh," and continued walking along the ocher dirt path. Shippō's quiet humming filled the renewed silence and he found himself watching the kitsune. No longer was he the fur ball of a pup he'd been five years ago. His red-tufted head now reached almost to his hip and the rounded rabbit-like tail had lengthened into a bushy length to match his growing height. He still wasn't a strapping lad, but fox yōkai weren't giants – hardly larger than your average, run-of-the-mill dog. It was safe to say their human forms weren't much better._

_The object of his observation suddenly darted up the path like a fire had singed his tail. Inuyasha's senses hummed and he sprinted after him. "Shippō!" The thick trees of the forest blurred around him and he scented the air, searching for danger. What'd made him take off like that?_

" _Inuyasha! Over here!"_

_His ears twitched, locking onto Shippō’s location like a beacon. A thick line of trees blocked his view, and he leaped forward, using his momentum to launch himself upward. The kitsune's scent plastered the air as he crested over the tree-tops, eyes falling on the scenery below him. The trees ended abruptly, giving way to a series of mildly rolling hills coated in a thick carpet of flowing grass. A harsh cliff side smiled from the eastern edge of the meadow, reminding him that they were, indeed, still high up in the mountains. Beyond it laid a vast valley exhibiting a parade of brilliant colors._

_Scanning the breathtaking panorama, he spotted Shippō rolling about atop one of the grassy knolls. He landed silently and stalked over to glare down at him. "Don't run off like that again."_

_The foxy smile vanished upon hearing the fearful undertone of his voice. Shippō’s ears sagged and he hunched closer to the ground like a chastised pup. "I'm sorry. I just got excited."_

_Inuyasha couldn't retain an ounce of anger when he gazed up at him so guiltily. His shoulders slumped and he sagged down to the ground tiredly. "Just be careful. I can't always protect you."_

_Shippō scooted closer and twirled a fat blade of grass around his small clawed fingers. "I will, I promise."_

_The silence that followed was a companionable one. Neither party attempted to fill it with idle chatter, as it would undoubtedly shatter the tranquil moment. Resting side-by-side on the mild bluff, their view extended over the meadow and across the valley to the mountainside opposite them. Small villages were easily discerned in the treeless voids spattered along the peak. The sun hung low in the sky, a vermilion fireball painting the atmosphere a deep indigo hue. The heat of the star was heavy and comforting, wrapping them up in its burning embrace._

_Most of the time he was easily able to banish her presence from his mind, but sunset was an unprotected window she always took to her advantage. The warmth lulled his eyes shut and her face jumped up immediately, eyes shining with a smile. His heart gave a soft pang at the sight._

_It was always Kagome, never Kikyō that plagued his dreams. It was, as if by leaving, she'd made him realize who he truly missed. A soft tingling spread across his back and something rested lightly on his left shoulder. The feeling was welcome, and oddly familiar._

_It suddenly intensified around his chest like a vice and he could almost feel hands grabbing at his kimono. It felt like she was right there, wrapping her arms around him and pressing against his back with her chin propped upon his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and glanced down to see his kimono bunch as if it'd been gripped by an actual set of tangible fingers._

_That was the last straw. He jerked to his feet and whirled around to stare at the empty air behind him. Nothing remained that any of his superior senses could detect and it unnerved him down to the very marrow residing in his bones._

Inuyasha's eyes drifted away from the valley below and rested on the rocks jutting out over the drop just a few feet away. Shippō had only stared at him uneasily, quietly asking what was wrong. He'd managed to snap out of his trance long enough to tell him to construct a fire and stay within sight. The boy had only nodded and watched as he'd wandered toward the cliff.

He ran his hand over the tattered hilt of the Tessaiga in a comforting caress and twitched an ear to listen behind him. The small fire cracked and popped, sending up very little smoke, and Shippō was mumbling to himself as he picked at his food. Something about 'the damn berries are bitter'. Inuyasha blew his breath out of his mouth, lamenting the lengths Shippō went to in order to complain. Those berries were the only hint of flavor in the entire meal; the fish that went with it was dried-out leftovers from the day before and about as tasty as parchment, so it seemed his taste buds would just have to suffer through this time.

Kagome would have had something to brighten his mood.

He dropped his head back and gazed up at the sky. It had felt so real, like she had been sitting right there beside him all along and he'd just been too ignorant to notice. Logically it made no sense, but how could his haori have possibly squelched together and left wrinkles?

The wind ruffled said cloth and he realized that all of this was probably a figment of his imagination. Loathe as he was to admit it to anyone but himself, it was a real possibility that his need for her had grown strong enough to conjure her presence when he was at his weakest.

He shook his head and snorted; leave it to him to lose his mind _._  Just wait until Miroku caught wind of this – if he thought it was unpleasant now, he had a whole other thing coming. The monk had a way of being totally relentless.

Although, this was the strongest and most realistic vision by far. Never before had he physically felt her touch. Kagome had only graced his dreams as he slept over the past five years. Why the sudden intensity?

The wind answered violently, blasting through the valley and sending the mountain shuddering in its wake. Inuyasha's grip tightened on Tessaiga and he wondered vaguely if Kagura had anything to do with this. He scented the wind, but found none of her usual traces.

Pity. He felt like stabbing something.

Grimacing at his bloodthirsty frustration, Inuyasha stalked back to Shippō's fire and glanced up at the kitsune huddled in the branches of a nearby tree. "You can come down now."

He did not have to be told twice. "Good. For a second there, I thought Kagura was going to swoop down on us."

It pleased him to hear his instincts were improving. "Well, you can relax. She won't be coming around until he's finished his nap."

His sarcasm wasn't lost on the young fox yōkai. "It _has_ been a long time." He moved closer to the fire and held his hands up, palms facing the flames. "I thought he'd be back by now."

"So did I." His golden eyes left the fire and drifted to the open ground around it. He hadn't meant to speak so forlornly, but with Naraku's prolonged slumber it was becoming harder and harder to remain idle. It allowed Kagome to drown him in guilt too often, as if his mind wasn’t punishing him enough as it was.

"Do you dream of her too?"

Inuyasha looked up, startled. Either Shippō had become an adept mind reader or his melancholy showed on his face – he was betting on the latter. "What?"

Shippō merely tossed another twig into the blaze. There was no amusement to be found in his expression. He nodded solemnly. "Of course you do, but not like my dreams." His head drooped until only the red tuft of his hair was visible. "Kagome was more than a friend, she was like..." He trailed off.

Inuyasha knew. "Your mother."

The kitsune stiffened and swiped furiously at his down turned face. "Yeah, I guess." His whisper was deathly quiet. A few tense moments passed and he suddenly lifted his head to glare tearfully at him. His voice was more like a soft growl. "And if you had just made up you damn mind, she'd still be here!"

Inuyasha took the blow without comment. It may have been directed by embarrassment from his tears, but it was still true. Foxes may not be pack animals, but the parent-offspring bond was strong between them. Shippō had been orphaned at a very young age and survived by finding a surrogate mother in Kagome. It was natural for him to blame the hanyō for leaving him orphaned a second time. "You're right."

Shippō blinked wide eyes at him as Inuyasha strode over to the base of the tree and curled up like a dog before a fireplace. Hopping over, Shippō knelt in front of him. With all his anger gone, he vaguely resembled a deflated ball of fluff. "She'll come back, won't she?" The fear in his eyes was palatable. "She has to come back." He reassured himself when his companion wouldn't.

"I don't think we'll have to wait much longer. The wind is ominous these days." Inuyasha flicked his ears as if pestered by flies. "Naraku's sleep is nearly over."

Those words frightened Shippō into a fit of shivers. He glanced at the nearby void in the grass and back at Inuyasha. He ducked closer to the ground and inched closer to him, tail tucking close to his body. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." His posture was similar to a groveling pup to its parent.

The hanyō glanced at him with one eye. The kitsune was scared and didn't want to sleep alone. He may have grown, but he still had a child's fear. He could at least comfort the boy as no one had done for him.

Shifting a bit, he made more room in the circle of his body. "Feh." The boy's flattened, submissive ears perked up and he scampered to nestle in the provided space. He let out a contented, whimpering yawn and promptly went to sleep.

Inuyasha sighed and allowed himself to relax. His body sagged boneless against the earth, exhausted from the day's travel. He waited a few moments, but the drag of deep, rejuvenating sleep eluded him. Cracking his dry, tired eyes open, he remained prone and scrutinized the meadow. Nothing made itself known, but the raised hairs on the back of his neck unnerved him.

Something was lurking and watching, but only lurking for now. He could try and fight it, but his body was already falling asleep. Regardless of whether his mind was awake, his body was surrendering. He couldn't defend them like this, and there was only one way to make sure whatever was out there stayed at bay.

He needed to call up his yōkai.

Shutting his eyes, he reached inward and called it. The dog yōkai shuddered to life within him to answer. Humming power raced across his limbs and the pulsing aura had Shippō whimpering against his chest. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and mentally snapped at it, disciplining it into control; he only needed his yōkai to stand watch. The Tessaiga grumbled at his hip, but he ignored it as the dog acquiesced to his will and settled in to guard them. The hanyō's eyes blazed with red and twin pale stripes slashed across his cheeks. Though his eyes stared emptily, Inuyasha finally drifted into his dreams.

The flashing eyes that watched waited a moment longer, silently pleased with the show of control. Satisfied, they disappeared into the blackness as silent as they had come.


	4. Chapter 4

_“My breaking heart and I agree, that you and I could never be, so with my best…my very best, I set you free.” – Rachel Yamagata_

* * *

 

"Hey, shouldn't your dog be on a leash?"

Kagome glanced over at the elderly man waiting beside her to cross the street. "No."

"What if he bites someone?" His balding scalp shone like a mirror in the autumn sun. She bet she'd be able to see her reflection if she leaned over to look.

"He doesn't bite." She gestured to the great white Akita sitting at her heel. "Not unless I tell him to."

His free hand gripped at the hem of his navy sweater-vest tightly as he backed off. He jabbed his cane accusingly at them. "That isn't safe. You young people are all reckless."

Kagome just shook her head. "Okay, okay. I'll buy a leash." She turned away from him and stared in the opposite direction.

It wasn't that she didn't have a leash, it's just that Inusaiai refused to wear it. Not even if it  _was_  just for show, he went completely bonkers. It had taken her nearly a week to convince him that a collar wouldn't strangle him to death – just like someone else she once knew.

She glanced down at the dog and realized the old geezer was still babbling. Clenching her delicate hands into fists, she whirled around, voice a quiet snarl. "Hey, I get it. You don't like me or my dog." The Akita emitted a low growl for backup, as she glared. "Could you please just leave me alone?"

He eyed Inusaiai and held up his hands in surrender. "It would do you well to heed my advice, girl."

It must be a personality trait everybody picked up after passing their fiftieth birthday, because only people that old seemed to be so stubborn about things so trivial. She sighed and crossed her arms under her breasts, leaning back against the street post. It would probably be better just to ignore him, though she could still feel the needling weight of his disapproving stare. 

The traffic slowed to a halt and the crosswalk sign lit up. Pedestrians of all sorts meandered across the road at least three bodies abreast. Kagome strode across the street with Inusaiai clearing a path ahead of her. Once on the other side, she headed north along the sidewalk. Three blocks and a right turn, and then another two blocks brought her to the small dormitory she lived in while attending the university. She shared a second floor room with her academically minded friend Ayumi. They were the only two of their quartet of high school friends that was continuing with school.

The nondescript beige building blended in well with the ten or so others that lined the block. She started up the steps and checked her watch as she did so. It was almost nine-thirty in the morning and she had a ten o'clock philosophy class to get to. She quickened her pace until she was jogging up through the lobby. Inusaiai effortlessly kept pace, unaffected by her sudden rush. Kagome took the stairs two at a time and was fishing around in her bag for her keys when she hit the second floor landing. She wasn't even the slightest bit winded when she slid the key home in the lock and let herself in.

The tastefully decorated room was empty. Either Ayumi had a very early class, or she was still over at her boyfriend's house. Kagome didn't spend more than a minute's time worrying than was necessary. Ayumi had been dating him for nearly two years and she figured that she could handle herself, seeing as the guy was the mildest mannered person she’d met in a long time.

Inusaiai followed her bag up onto her bed and curled up for a nap. She rolled her eyes and started to undress. "Glad someone gets to relax around here."

She was still dressed in her riding clothes from the day before, but she, herself, was clean. She had just run out of spare clothes back at the shrine. The white polo went first, followed in quick succession by her tall black leather boots, khaki breeches, and knee high black socks. Standing only in her black cotton bra and panties, she stared into the contents of her tiny closet. She glanced over at the dog. "What should I wear?"

He cracked open his eyes to stare at her.

"Some help you are." Telling herself to just reach in and grab, she settled on a billowy gray tank top, a pair of battered slim jeans with blown out knees, and her scuffed-up, tan lace-up boots. They were all her favorites and extremely comfortable, which was exactly what she wanted for sitting in a lecture hall for three hours. Taking a second to appraise herself in the mirror hung on the back of her closet door, she ran her fingers through the snags in her lengthy waves and swiped the shorter pieces framing her face aside.

Her eyes darted about her reflection, pausing on the flash of pink jewel at her throat before she gave herself a shake and turned away to skirt around the end of the bed to grab her school bag from the back of her desk chair. "Okay, I have to go to class now." She relieved her canvas, military style olive jacket from back of the front door. "Don't scare Ayumi to death when she comes in." She hastily yanked the jacket on and slung the bag over her shoulder. "Please behave."

Inusaiai yawned and shut his eyes.

She scoffed and pulled open the door. "Yeah, I'm sure that penetrated your thick skull somewhere."

Locking it behind her, she left at a slow run, bag bouncing on her back. She was already late as it was and her professor hated tardiness. It wouldn't do her good to show up half an hour late. She blinked against the bright sun when she got outdoors, and once recovered, sprinted down the steps and sidewalk heading east, worn boots comfortable and snug around her ankles. She paced herself and followed the long drive until it curved to the left, splitting into four separate walks.

Kagome followed the furthest path to the left and slowed to a jog as she zigzagged between her fellow students. There were more steps, but she finally slowed to a walk when she reached the three story brick building. She took a deep breath to relax her slight pant and suddenly felt a shadow crawl over her back.

She froze, eyes widening in surprise. It felt just like yōki, prickling along her skin like needles. She whipped around and searched the area, but her powers couldn't find anything amiss. She pressed a reassuring hand against the jewel at her neck. "Weird."

Shaking it off, she stepped through the doors and wove her way through the throngs of people wading in the corridor. That couldn't have possibly been a yōkai; she would've met up with it long before now. She stopped as if she had been shot.

What if that'd just been Naraku just now?

Her heart tattooed erratically in her chest. Had he finally woken up? She frowned and worried her lower lip between her teeth. If he had, the shard at her throat would be reacting. She lifted it out of her shirt and watched it carefully. The tiny sliver of pink glinted under the harsh fluorescent lights, but remained dormant.

Another student bumped her shoulder and the jewel slipped out of her fingers to lay against her chest. If it wasn't reacting, she should just ignore it for now and go to class. She didn't have an afternoon class, so she could worry then. She glanced at the hall clock and gasped. "Shit!"

It read ten-seventeen.

She darted forward shouting, "Excuse me!" and turned the corner to race for the third door on the left. Skidding to a halt, she latched onto the doorknob and pulled open the door.

She only made it halfway across the threshold when it hit her.

It was similar to being punched to the solar plexus – small, precise, and concentrated; intensified twenty-fold and it was somewhere close to how the impact to her chest felt. The shard flared to life and knocked every cubic bit of air from her lungs. If she hadn't been holding the door, she would've crumpled to the floor, cursing the delayed reaction.

"Higurashi, do you know at what time this class beg – Miss Higurashi?" The professor slid around his desk and started towards her, his face ghostly pale.

If he looked like that, she could only imagine how she appeared clinging to a door. Kagome staggered, but even the stout wood door couldn't keep her up. Pain lanced across her ribcage as she fought to take a breath. Her lungs struggled against the pressure, as if she were submerged deep underwater, allowing only the thinnest stream of air to pass her airways.

The shard was reacting to the newly awakened jewel. The gem was calling to its last, long lost sister.

Dropping to her hands and knees, she clutched at her chest until her fingers wrapped around the shard, lifting it from her body.

The relief was immediate and she sucked in a huge, gasping breath. Her heart finally started to slow its breakneck pace and she noticed that all the eyes in the room were turned to her. "Oh." She grimaced as her diaphragm lost some of its cramp. "Hi."

Her professor knelt in front of her. "Miss Higurashi, are you alright? What is ailing you?"

Somehow she doubted an awakened yōkai and a tainted Shikon jewel qualified as a legitimate medical excuse. Sitting up, she continued to breathe as evenly as she could. "Asthma attack."

He frowned behind his horn-rimmed glassed, but held out a hand to help her to her feet. "Asthma wasn't listed on the medical records you submitted."

A nerve ticked above her right eye. It figured she'd choose the one disease her grandfather had forgotten to add. She managed a strangled smile and waved dismissively. "Oh, it's a new one." Only she would be lucky enough to have professor through enough to learn absolutely _everything_ about his students.

"Do you need a doctor?" He pushed his glasses up his nose in an annoyingly frequent manner.

"No." The jewel shard was already calming and she'd finally caught her breath. "I think I'll just go to the restroom." She wasn't really going there, but he didn't need to know that.

He nodded. "Take the day off. I'll have someone take notes for you."

She wouldn't be needing notes at all if her hunch was right, but she smiled graciously anyway. "Thank you." Stepping back, she forced herself to stagger until she turned the corner. Once out of sight, she bolted like the devil himself was chasing her.

That was actually fairly accurate, all this considered.

She had to get back to the feudal era to warn the others soon, but if she considered Naraku's plotting nature, she figured she had at least a couple days on her side.

Kagome ran until she got back to the dorm building, catching her breath as she once again climbed the stairs. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the lock and she had to clench them both until they would still.

Inusaiai sat at attention at the foot of the bed, eyes glittering knowingly. Kagome gazed into his amber eyes as she leaned back against the door and wondered for the millionth time if the stray she'd found following her three years ago really was Inuyasha's way of protecting her from the past. The dog whined and stepped forward to press his head against her clenched hand.

Something red flashed through her mind and tears welled in her eyes. She slid down the door as her knees buckled and he dove forward, his broad, scratchy tongue darting out to lick away her tears. He may not have been the hanyō himself, but it was as if his spirit was floating inside the Akita. Kagome flung her arms around the thick ruff of his neck and held him tightly. Inusaiai didn't budge, and allowed her to grip his fur painfully tight without protest.

She finally got hold of her emotions after what felt like ages and let go of him, smoothing down his rumpled fur. "Sorry."

A knock at the door had her jumping across the room with a screech and Inusaiai snarling. Kagome felt like slapping herself, embarrassed that her flayed nerves had her as skittish as a newborn foal. "Who is it?"

"Hōjō."

A knot of dread kneaded itself in her belly. She had totally forgotten about her boyfriend, and had to literally force herself to answer the door, body sluggish to response to her demands. Cracking it open a few inches, she peeked out. "What is it?"

His cheery face wasn't so cheery and his blue eyes were narrowed. "Let me in. I know you're dressed, so don't give me that excuse. I saw you run up here."

"Sorry." Her dark eyes dropped to stare at his black sneakers, wondering hysterically if his preemptive defense meant she was as bad as it implied. She held it open and shut it after he brushed by her, his hard expression confirming her suspicions.

Yes, she a creature of prolific excuses, deflection, and avoidance tactics.

She hugged herself as she turned around, bracing herself against the door. "What's wrong, Hōjō?"

He kept his back to her, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, eyes unfocused though they gazed down at her cluttered desk. "I came by to check on you last night and you weren't here."

Kagome narrowed her eyes, biting her tongue against asking when he’d started following her. "When I said I was going home, I meant the shrine. Mom asked me to stay for dinner."

"I thought you didn't feel well." His voice was low, accusatory.

Kagome glared at his back, indignation burning away her apprehension. "If you want to accuse me of something, then do it or get out."

He whirled around angrily, his hands fisting at his sides. "You blew me off!" His voice broke and he looked away towards the window. "You could have told the truth." He sounded defeated and tired as he turned his watery blue eyes back to her. "Why did you lie to me?"

Hōjō stood before her in near tears and she was completely dry. She was always good for waterworks when emotions were involved, but it seemed something had gone wrong with her plumbing – and it scared her. People in relationships were supposed to care when their significant other was in distress, especially when the cause was their own behavior, but she only felt bad because she couldn’t reciprocate to the same depths.

Kagome bit her lip, hesitant about being honest and hurting him further. "I knew you'd come see me anyway and I wanted to be alone."

He laughed bitterly. "You always want to be alone." His sparkling blue eyes drilled into hers. "Why?"

Her mouth opened and clicked shut without responding. She didn't really have an answer that wouldn't break his heart. Kagome could feel the prick of tears now as she stepped towards him, guilt rising up like tidal wave inside her. "Hōjō, I don't-"

"Love me, I know." He reached out to cradle her jaw, and she could feel her trembling chin against his fingers. "I think I knew all along. I just didn't want to believe it." His voice was hoarse as his anger died into something like resignation. “I figured time would be all you needed to let him go, and when that never seemed to happen, eventually I told myself that having you even only in part was better than not at all.”

Her voice came out strangled as her eyes burned. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“About what? That I knew you were using me?” He shrugged dismissively as his hand dropped away from her face. “It didn’t bother me, honestly.” He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and sighed heavily. “Well, at least until you started ducking out on me more and more. I kinda realized that it wasn’t working for you either and you were just trying to spare me in your own way.”

Kagome couldn't have stopped the tears even if she dammed them up. They cascaded down her face as she sagged with shame, hands shaking as they clasped around her neck as if to ease the choked feeling there. She had been aware of the distancing she had been doing to everyone around her, steeling herself against having to leave them behind again – perhaps permanently – but had she really grown so selfish and cold?

She lifted blurred vision to Hōjō. "I'm so sorry, Hōjō. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” She shuddered as the tears snaked down her cheeks to drip off her chin. “There’s so much I could say to explain, but,” her breath hitched around a sob, “it won’t change anything and I’m sorry. I’m so, so-“

Strong arms pulled her against a broad chest, smothering her in the softness of his Henley. “It’s alright, Kags. I don’t need an explanation.”

“You let me use you and lie to you.” She pinched her eyes shut as she mumbled into his chest. "I thought I could forget, but-"

He gave a humorless laugh. “We used each other and I was just as selfish thinking I could force you to love me.”

Kagome pushed at him until he released her, blinking rapidly past matted lashes. “But I knew how you felt about me and you-“

He shushed her with a raised hand. "And I knew how you felt, so I figure we’re even.” He smiled weakly. “We’re both guilty parties here, and I’m sorry I came barging in here like I did.”

“You’re angry and hurting.” Kagome snatched his retreating hand and held between both of hers, sniffing. “I understand and you don’t have to apologize.”

Hōjō jostled their joined hands. “Yeah, I do. You’ve been hurting just as much as me, I was just too caught up in my own head to notice.”

They lapsed into silence, hands held tenuously between them. Kagome traced the back of his hand delicately as Inusaiai moved to lean against her legs. “So, what happens now?”

He squeezed her hand. “We go our separate ways, I guess. I mean, I’ll always consider you a friend, but I think I need time away to get over it.” He smiled sheepishly.

Kagome nodded, suddenly exhausted. “Right, friends. That’s good.”

“And what about you?” He lifted a concerned brow at her. “Will you be alright?”

A breathless laugh escaped before she realized it, dropping her head back to stare at the ceiling a moment as the day’s events settled further on her shoulders. “Oh, I’ll be fine, Hōjō.” She blinked back over at him, smiling faintly. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, or pretty, but I think I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Or die trying.

“Okay, Kagome.” He gently pulled his hand free and set his shoulders in an impression of stoicism. “I’ll get out of your hair now.”

He stepped around her to make for the door and she was seized by the need to touch him one last time. Reaching out to grasp his upper arm, she pulled him back as he blinked in surprise and enveloped him in a tight hug. She squeezed him as she murmured into his shoulder. “For what it’s worth, thank you for everything, Hōjō. I hope you’ll be okay.”

His initial tension eased under her grip and he huffed softly as his arms came up to hold her in return. “Right back at you, Kags.” He relaxed further as she slipped back and gripped her upper arms affectionately. “And don’t worry, I’ll heal in time.” He nodded as if to confirm it with himself. “In time.”

Kagome stood frozen as he smiled sadly and turned to the door, pulling it open and stepping through. He paused on the other side of the threshold. “Goodbye, Kagome.”

As she watched the door click shut behind him, she knew he couldn't possibly have known how close his own words had been to her own. She had said that very same thing, once upon a time, to the boy that held her heart still. Not once had she stopped to imagine how he'd felt hearing those words, how similar to a punch to the gut they were.

She staggered back and crumbled onto her bed in huge, gasping sobs, all thoughts of Naraku and the jewel forgotten. Inusaiai whined and jumped up to lie beside her, nosing his head under her arm until she seized him to her chest. Kagome cried until her eyes dried up and sleep claimed her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: graphic violence, torture, trauma, wound gore, and blood.

_“A man who will enslave his own blood, may not be safely relied on for magnamity.” – Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom_

* * *

The peacefully solitary existence she'd worked so hard for was going up in flames. All semblance of freedom had instantly been destroyed by one heart-clenching summons. Naraku had awakened and the reunion was not to be a pleasant one.

Kagura slipped the silky white feather back into her hair and stared into the inky blackness of the cave. It was always caves with Naraku – fitting considering he'd been spawned in one. She could sense him up ahead and gave a final cursory glance around before striding into the darkness. The air was so thick with his aura she thought she just might choke on it.

The craggy walls narrowed to a tunnel just about arms-width wide, and when she figured she'd gotten lost after endless minutes of silent walking, torches sprouted up along the smooth rock in measured intervals. Her foul mood grew fouler when nothing changed for almost one hundred paces, idly wondering if she was going to pop out the other side of the mountain before she came upon him.

The torches flickered and nearly went out. Kagura's hand tightened on her ornate fan as something shifted in the shadows, coming closer. "Who's there?"

An eerily familiar chuckle greeted her. "Don't you remember me, Kagura?"

She suddenly had a bad taste in her mouth. "Hakudōshi."

"Very good, Kagura." His sinisterly soft voice had deepened some, but his pale dead eyes were the same as she remembered.

"Where's Naraku?" She regarded him prudently. He'd grown taller and his body was that of a young adult beneath his ordinary kimono and hakama. Long-limbed with the same ghostly pale complexion and waist length lavender hair, he gave an impression more devious than his appearance should've suggested.

His face grinned sardonically. "Anxious, Kagura?"

"Just take me to him," she raised a finely arched brow. "Or did he just post you as the doorman?" If he was going to act like a prick, why couldn't she be just as waspish?

Hakudōshi's grin slipped. "Follow me."

She took a deep breath and fell into step behind him. Nary was a sound uttered as the tunnel once again widened into an oblong cavern. They navigated a small slope and, to her surprise, found a small house built into the rock face. The expressionless boy brought her up to the steps and stopped beside the open door. She eyed him carefully. "What?"

He smirked. "Ladies first."

She ignored his sarcasm and stepped through the doorway and into a small parlor. The neutrally toned room was lit by numerous candles lining the perimeter and along the walls. The air was warm, but it still wasn't heated enough to banish the sudden chill that raced up her spine.

There was nothing that could warm a chill that came from the inside.

Kagura waited until the goose bumps on her flesh calmed before looking ahead. There was another set of doors on the opposite side of the room. Imagining any number of heinous scenarios, she strode over and slid them open. The candles managed to dimly light the first few feet, but the rest of the larger room was shrouded in darkness.

It, unlike the first, was not empty.

She didn't need to see him to know he was right there, just out of reach of the glowing light. Her senses could feel him waiting there, studying her. The weight of his gaze dragged along her skin like snail, slow and sticky. "Naraku."

"Hello, Kagura. You look well." His voice was menacingly quiet, sliding down her body like silk. "I see you received my invitation."

"How could I have not?" It was a little hard to ignore your heart being crushed. She turned her eyes to the wooden floor to stop herself from searching his out. Her grip tightened on her fan.

He smiled and stepped in the shallow light. "Good."

His wavy hair hung down over his face, obscuring it from her view. She could see the crooked grin on what she'd originally thought had been a handsome face. He held up his palm and cocked his head to the side to gaze at the object it grasped. It was that dreadfully joyous expression which had her holding her breath and examining him fully. From her position across the room, she could not see any trace of the spiny processes that had once adorned his back.

For once he resembled the yōkai she had first come in contact with, the one that looked no different than any other human man.

His empty hand lifted to join its partner and she stared in fascination as it started to shift. The limb contorted unnaturally and each independent finger lengthened to conjoin with the others. Bones snapped and joints popped sickeningly as the skin hardened to resemble petrified wood. The change was swift; what had once clearly been a hand was now a jagged dagger of hardened flesh.

Seeing something so alien attached to his wrist nearly turned her stomach, but she managed to choke back her gag reflex. He lifted the dagger and scraped the ragged edge along the surface of the suddenly throbbing form in his other hand. "I wouldn't want you to forget your place."

Pain sliced through her chest so crisply that she cried out. She clutched desperately at her kimono as her knees buckled. Crumpled on the wooden floor planks, she clawed at the silken cloth frantically. "Ah," Kagura trembled and fought for breath. "You...bastard."

He chuckled. "Don't think me foolish enough to forget your trespasses against me, Kagura." He lifted the freakish blade and shifted it back to his original limb. He smiled pleasantly and stored the precious organ away. "There's no need for you to be thinking traitorous thoughts."

Kagura gritted her teeth and managed to sit up, cursing his very existence. Once the pressure dispensed, she inhaled past the stabbing pain in her chest. "What do you want from me?"

He turned away from her crumpled form and stepped toward the leftward wall. She blinked in surprise when she realized there was yet another door. Naraku's body blocked her view, but she heard the slide of the wood and knew he'd opened it. When he stepped back, a young boy of five or six stood solemnly beside the nefarious hanyō. His gaze was lifeless as it traveled over her and she realized she knew those empty eyes. She had once held the owner of those dead eyes in her arms.

Naraku seemed pleased by her reaction. "Don't you remember Akago?" He laughed softly. "I'd hope you would remember the child you held to your bosom for so long."

Kagura fought back a snarl and only partially succeeded as she staggered to her feet. "How could I forget the soul-sucking little shit?"

He nodded with her assessment. "And I'm sure you recognized Hakudōshi."

Kagura's eyes narrowed as the air behind her shifted. Hakudōshi materialized beside her and she followed his stroll across the room with her eyes. He met them coolly when he was stationed beside Akago. "How could I possibly forget?"

Naraku gestured to the two boys. "What do you think of your younger brothers, Kagura?"

He gazed at her intently and she knew she was supposed mumble some humble, servant-to-master bullshit. She wasn't put out in the slightest to disappoint him. "They can rot in hell for all I care." She congratulated herself on sounding nonchalant.

She could only gape when his grin grew toothy. "Spoken like a true sister."

Kagura wanted nothing more than to tear out his eyes and gag him with them. Snapping open her fan, she sneered over at him. "Then you won't mind if I cut them down."

Naraku chuckled and was joined in quick succession by the boys. "Come now, Kagura. You couldn't have forgotten that they are impervious to your attacks."

She widened her stance, lifting her fan high above her right shoulder. "No, I never forgot." Crouching, she sprang forward and arched her arm downward like a whip.  _"Fūjin no Mai!"_

The pearly blades sang through the murky room, cutting swiftly towards the dead-eyed youngster. Akago's eyes shifted minutely, almost languidly, to watch them come. Without using his eyes as a guide, he reached a small hand to his belt and latched onto the hilt of his child-sized katana. The short blade slid from its sheath smoothly and moved almost in slow-motion as he easily parried each blade in turn.

Kagura stayed huddled in her crouch, blinking with disbelief. She bared her teeth and sprang backwards, turning to glare at Naraku. "What trickery is this?!"

The youkai's face was highly amused. "You finally asked a question worth answering." He gestured to Hakudōshi and Akago. "This was the reason for my hibernation."

She straightened up and slipped her fan into her obi; it would be of no use now. "You did it to strengthen their power in order to better protect your heart."

"Correct. Very studious of you, Kagura." He once again lifted up his hands, both now empty. "I felt that there had been more close calls than I was comfortable with." He was gazing thoughtfully at his flesh. "I decided to seclude myself and gather my strength." He grinned again as his hands began their grotesque transformations. "I did it originally with the same intentions you've noted, but it benefited  _my_  body as well." Both limbs once again mirrored serrated blades, but held a texture closer to that of living bone.

"You always were a coward." His wickedly happy gaze cut to meet her eyes and her bravado vaporized. She found herself retreating until her back bumped into the wall behind her. "What are you-?"

He lashed out quicker than any wind she could muster. Her eyes widened as his right handed dagger pierced through her neck, pinning her to the wall. Shock overrode the pain as she watched her blood spray from the wound. She was mentally frozen as she watched the gush of crimson coat his arm and splatter on his face, bizarrely feeling like a spectator to her own demise.

Naraku leaned in close, licking the still-hot blood from his lips as he did so. "Perhaps now you'll refrain from openly defying me."

Kagura could only gurgle as her lungs convulsed in desperation. The sheer volume of blood was astonishing, even to her. It soaked her body and face, still spurting strongly enough to splatter the yōkai in front of her from head to foot. It seemed so mildly odd to her that she could actually bleed that much.

Never before had she bled from her wounds and she flicked her eyes to those smiling at her from his ruddy red mask. Naraku held her heart and only he could inflict a mortal wound to her flesh. Kagura's blazing eyes grew huge with the knowledge that her lungs were quickly filling.

She was going to drown in her own blood.

Kagura latched onto the skewering dagger until her knuckles were white. She tried yanking it free, but he didn't budge. Naraku was openly laughing at her panic and she felt her rage scream to life. Bucking her hips, she thrashed wildly and felt his arm quiver with the effort to hold her. She would've grinned if she still retained control over her mouth. Contracting her abdominals, she raised her knees to her chest and kicked outward with her heels. Naraku ducked out of range, but his dodge sent the dagger loose from the wall. She pitched forward and jerked herself free as she fell. Kagura landed heavily against the blood-sodden wood, splashing sickeningly into the sizable pool of it at her feet.

The impact jump-started her lungs in action. Back hunching painfully, she spewed the traitorous liquid and gargled on the air flapping through the wound. The retching subsided slowly and she was left kneeling before her audience. The coppery fluid soaked her down to the skin through her three layers of clothing and was already drying sticky to her exposed flesh.

She reached up tentatively and examined the wound as best she could. Had she been a human, she would've surely been left to exsanguinate. He had just grazed her spin; any closer and she'd have been instantly paralyzed. Instead of death, he'd left her weakened and unable to speak. Wrapping a hand protective hand around her delicate neck, she glared up at him through her heavy bangs.

The blaring red of her blood on his pale skin was garish. It only succeeded in making his bland expression more sinister. "Will you be a good pet now?"

He should have learned by now that his threats only made her more rebellious, but there was nothing she could do now, so she continued to glare at him: he'd made his point.

He nodded. "Excellent. I have a task for you." He paused and listened to her wound gurgle as she breathed raggedly. He retracted the daggers and turned to Akago. "I want you to seek out the priestess, Kikyō, and bring her to me."

Now she was just plain confused. As far as she was aware, Kikyō had vehemently promised to be Naraku’s end, so seeking her out was suicidal at best. Kagura's glare dropped away to stare at the floor.

He must have seen the question in her face. "Why, you ask?" He chuckled and knelt down in front of her. "That isn't your concern." He reached out with a hand, a real one, and tipped up her chin. The movement pulled painfully at her neck and she grimaced. "That worked out better than I planned."

He'd never intended for her to leave in one piece.

Kagura jerked away, sliding through the blood. Her helplessness was maddening. The adrenaline that had been holding off the waterfall of pain was beginning to fade. Shivers raced across her flesh to clench her jaw tightly as she crawled to her knees. He wanted her to fetch Kikyō like some kind of dog, but she wouldn't budge until her wound knitted.

Ambushing the priestess was a surefire way to get herself killed. She wasn't fool enough to believe that wasn't at least part of his intention, and he deserved to wait for what he’d done to her.

Naraku stood up and stared down at her. "Your actions here have forced me to stall these plans until you're fit to travel." He slipped out of the blood-soaked kimono and threw it to the floor before her. "It seems I was a bit hasty to dole out my punishment."

She rolled her eyes and wobbled to her feet, blood drooling from the corner of her mouth. She wasn't about to point out how big of an understatement that was. Tremors shook her as she shuffled unsteadily to the door. The less time she spent here, the better.

"Did I dismiss you, Kagura?"

His voice cracked like a whip against her back and she reluctantly turned around.

"I think I prefer this silent version of you so much more." He smiled debonairly. "Someone will be waiting at the cave's mouth to watch over you for me." He rested a fatherly hand on the top of Akago's head. "Now you may leave."

She didn't wait for another interruption. Staggering out of the house, she stepped off the porch and eyed the hill she'd climbed earlier and knew going down would not be as easy as the ascent. Clutching at her blood-laden kimono, she plucked a single white feather from her hair. The caves and tunnels were plenty large enough to accommodate her vessel. Walking out in her condition would be nearly impossible if she could barely stand upright.

Sitting heavily on its airy softness, Kagura directed the canoe-like feather through the dank corridors of rock. Apprehension washed over her like a downpour when there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.

What should have been a relief was now a dread at meeting her mysterious supervisor. She wondered vaguely if their welcome would as warm as his.

The twilight illuminated a small form beside the right side wall. As she came closer, it dawned on her who the nameless protector actually was and pondering just what Naraku was thinking putting the two of them together. 

Gliding noiselessly, she stalled in midair and hung just inside the mouth of the cave. Unlike Naraku's other juvenile henchman, this one remained unchanged as he sat dressed in his black and teal garb. He didn't turn to look at her; his attention was on the razor sharp sickle of his kusarigama.

Or so she thought.

He cocked his head to the side and dropped the weapon into his lap. "So," he glanced out of the corner of his eye at her. "We meet again." When she didn't reply, his freckled face frowned. He slid gracefully to his feet and stepped toward her. "No wonder you can't speak." He eyed her wound critically and dug under one of his armored shoulder pads. "He tells me to watch you, but then he goes and nearly decapitates you." Sighing, he held out a small clam. "Here, use this salve when it starts to knit. It'll speed up the healing."

Kagura took it and tucked it alongside her fan. While Kohaku hadn't aged a day, physically, from the last time she'd seen him, it was obvious from his tone that he'd experienced life far beyond his years. His honey brown eyes held the grim attitude of a child grown before his time. She figured that's what being resurrected from the grave to do evil would do to a person.

He smirked at her observations. "No fancy tricks for me." He tucked his kusarigama into his belt at the small of his back. "Being undead doesn’t allow for growth, I guess." He slipped out his yōkai-taijiya mask and gestured toward her feather. "Mind if I hitch a ride?"

She doubted that she'd ever met someone more cynical. Knowing that his hatred for Naraku remained, she wiped off her hand and held it out to him. It had been an idiotic move on his part to pair the two of them together, but he didn't know that. Kohaku was much more adept at double-crossing his master than she was, so she’d just follow his lead.

Kohaku took the time to slip on his mask before meeting her eyes and taking her blood-stained hand. He settled easily behind her. "We will do as he requests and retrieve the priestess." He motioned for her to leave the cave and she readily complied. "But it is a task unfit for one in your condition, yōkai or not."

Kagura shot them through the cool evening air until she reached an altitude to her liking. He was right. Naraku mustn't catch wind of their impromptu alliance. It would spell disaster otherwise. Her neck throbbed from the friction of air sliding through it and she coughed. The boy was right. There was nothing either of them could do until the gaping hole in her neck sealed.

His hand grasped her slim shoulder tightly. She twisted around to meet his eyes and knew he was grinning behind the mask. "Such an incapacitation doesn't mean we'll spend it idly."

She smiled in return and had to swipe the blood that drooled out of the corner of her mouth. Kohaku meant to undermine Naraku and being sidelined by injury gave a perfect excuse to plan out their betrayal. She'd underestimated the young yōkai-taijiya behind her. She was glad to know that she was on his side. Whatever hesitations he'd once had were now vanquished and he would most certainly strike to kill.

Kohaku pointed past her and she followed. "Past that forest and into the valley is the village I live in. We'll stay there for now." He dropped his arm. "I'll tell the villagers that you're my elder sister if they get suspicious."

It took her a moment to realize what he'd just said and her eyes widened a bit. It must still wound him deeply to think of the sister he'd been forced to betray. She shook her head negatively.

He mirrored her actions. "No, it's fine. I've had plenty of time to come to terms and it will not affect me at all." His honey brown eyes were solemn. "You aren't Sango, so it will be a lie. I have been living a lie for five years and it makes no difference to me to lie some more." He gazed off into the distance. "Besides, if you can't speak up then you cannot deny it."

Ceding to his point, Kagura sighed, hacked, and resumed steering her feather. She would follow his lead and act as his sister. It would only be a pretty family façade as they plotted.

If Naraku thought he was the only one with the brains to concoct a master-plan, he was dead wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

_“Even while we hate, we still have that deep unusual compassion for our rivals, and they hate it when they realize that we are feeling sorry for them.” – Michael Bassey Johnson, The Infinity Sign_

* * *

 

Goodbyes were almost always tearful and this one was no exception. She tried valiantly to stay dry, but the weight of the situation was hitting her hard. She was leaving her family to chase down a homicidal yōkai-maniac, and this time there weren't going to be any pit stops back home. She was going to finish this escalating disaster once and for all.

She was probably walking straight to her doom.

That single thought had followed her the entire morning as she went about the to-do list she'd put together years ago. She had written lengthy letters to each of her friends – and Hojo. Each one had inevitably held a strong 'I'm-never-coming-back' vibe, and to her ultimate dismay, she believed it. Maybe it was the five years of waiting? A person's patience could only hold out for so long before giving out.

Kagome inhaled her mother's smell as she hugged her tightly. She wasn't going to lie to herself or to them. The possibility of her not returning was good and she had never, ever been a skilled liar. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"I know you will." Her mother pulled back and framed her hands around her daughter's face. "You've grown into a strong, independent young woman and I'm so proud of you."

"Oh jeez, Mom." Kagome swiped at the enormous tears leaking out of her eyes.

Her mother was crying just as strongly. "Just remember that no matter what happens, I love you." She smiled. "My beautiful daughter."

A sob slipped out of her lips and she clutched her mother's hands. "I love you, Mom." She reluctantly let go and turned to her grandfather. "So, what are you going to tell people this time?"

His wrinkled face creased some more with his warm smile. "That my precious Kagome is off saving the world from its yōkai."

Her watery mahogany eyes drifted over his short, hunched frame and wooden cane with affection. She smiled through her tears. "I think you finally got it right." She knelt down and embraced him.

He patted her back after a moment. "It is time for you to go now, child."

Kagome bit back another sob and nodded, moving away and getting to her feet. He was right. The longer she lingered, the direr the situation became. "Alright." She turned and picked up the small brown bag from behind her. She slid it over her shoulder messenger-style and blinked through fresh tears. "I miss you both already."

They nodded and smiled. "Good luck, Kagome."

She tore her tearful gaze away reluctantly and sauntered in the direction of the well with her head down. She didn't need her eyes to know where to step. The well's power called to the Sacred Jewel shard around her neck and that was all the direction she needed. Her strides were ominously silent; the thick rubber soles of her boots masked any sound against the chalky pavement. Silence was always more severe than a cacophony of noise and she recalled the soft clacking sound her old school shoes used to make on this very same trek.

The steps of the shrine popped into her peripheral vision, as well as a pair of sneaker-clad feet. Sōta was wearing his good luck sneakers – for her. She finally lifted her gaze and met his dark eyes. Their melancholy sparkle matched the ones shone by her mother, but with more admiration. He'd grown out of his weepy stage years ago and simply straightened up and smiled. "This one's for the long haul, I take it?"

Kagome smiled at his attempt at levity. "Yes." She could tell from his voice that he still hoped she'd stay. "It's time I put an end to this."

He nodded and held up two very vital items. "You'll be needed these then."

Kagome admired the rosy lacquered wood for a moment before relinquishing the custom made antique bow from his hands. The grain ran smooth under her fingers and she tested the string of authentic horsehair. It was taunt and thrummed when she snapped it. A couple of years after returning home, she'd sought out the most skilled crafter of wooden bows in Japan. The price had been hefty, but the shiny short bow fit her hands perfectly. Kagome also took hold of her quiver's solid leather strap. It was large enough to hold upwards of twenty arrows at a time, and was also specially designed to serve as a protective carrier for her bow. She slid the bow into its pocket and slung the weighty quiver across her shoulders. Weapons weren't permitted on campus and she'd been forced to keep them at home.

"Thanks, Sōta."

He shrugged. "Anytime." He ran a hand through his short hair and sighed. "I don't know how you say goodbye and not upset you."

Kagome caught hold of his fidgeting fingers. "Then don't worry about it. Being a little sad is what makes this a true goodbye." She ran her thumb over his knuckles in a motherly gesture. "And even if I don't come back, you know where to find me." She pressed their conjoined hands over his heart.

He blew out a tense breath. "There are times I wish you'd never told me about this Naraku stuff." He looked away. "This is one of them."

"You deserved to know the truth." She wouldn't call a thorn a rose just because it made  _her_  feel better.

He dropped his hands down. "You always were the different one. I could just tell, even though I was younger." He frowned as if searching for the right words. "It’s like you were never comfortable with yourself, but then you went back to the feudal era. You were suddenly a whole lot calmer."

She gaped for a moment, searching for a response. When she couldn't find one, she frowned. He'd known all along what it had taken her years to comprehend. "Sōta…"

He jerked her to him and hugged her fiercely. "Go be where you truly belong and be happy."

Tears burned in her eyes again. "Sōta…"

He squeezed her harder. "I love you, Kagome." He set her away abruptly. "Good luck and tell Big Brother that I give him my best." He brushed past her.

She stared emptily at the steps for a moment. Did everyone in her life know her better than she did? Everybody was telling her to go where she belonged – even Hojo. She glanced at her family as they walked hand in hand towards the house. Their words echoed in her mind and they were followed by a sharp spurt of anger. Where did they get off telling her what to do? She was an adult and ran her own life. She scowled at the doors to the shrine. How the hell did they know what she wanted or needed? How could they know when she didn’t?

_'Go be where you truly belong and be happy.'_

Her temporary anger was deflated by shame. They were her family; they only wanted what was best for her, they wanted her to be happy. She sniffed and wiped at her face, frustrated that she clung so tightly to falsehoods in order to put on a façade of steely, unfeeling control.

She secured both the bag and quiver tighter across her chest and strode to the door. Denying the fact that fighting yōkai was something that she lived for, something that stirred her blood like nothing else, was unfair to everyone. Sighing, she steadied herself and slid open the doors she hadn't touched in five years. The musky dirt smell that wafted out reminded her of when she first returned home. There had been many times during the first few months she'd locked herself up in her room to keep herself from running here.

Sitting at the bottom of the old wooden stairs was Inusaiai, gazing languidly at the well. Kagome shut the door behind her and went down the steps to sit beside him. The thick white ruff of his neck was inviting and she sank her fingers deep into it. She caressed his fur lightly. "I've thought about it all day and decided that you can't be any kind of spiritual reincarnation of Inuyasha." He turned his glowing gold eyes toward her. Kagome slid her hand up to fiddle with his soft, triangular ears. "In order for that to be, he would have to have died," she let go and stood up, "and I refuse to believe that."

Inusaiai blinked up at her questioningly.

She smiled. "There's only one dog spirit I can think of that would willingly protect a human girl." She patted the flat expanse of his furry head. "This priestess would only ask that the great Inu no Taisho watch over her family as he has so diligently done for her and allow his hanyō son to continue in his stead."

The white Akita met her gaze and in those amber orbs she saw the flicker of a face and recognition. Inusaiai woofed softly and she pulled back her hand. Her instincts were right; Inuyasha's father had been acting as her guardian angel all this time. She never would have thought such a thing was possible, but she knew it down to the marrow in her bones.

She grinned warmly. "Thank you." She couldn't stop herself from reaching out and giving his velvety ears another scratch. Inusaiai merely ducked his head under her hands. She giggled nervously and jerked her hands back. "Sorry." God, was she pathetic. Forcing herself to face the well, she bolstered up her bravado. "Alright, Inusaiai, I'll be going now."

She caught herself waiting for someone to stop her and felt like crawling in a hole. She was stalling and she knew it, but she hesitated all the same. Kagome steeled herself and marched over to the old wooden well. She congratulated herself for practical thinking - wearing heavy denim jeans in place of pleated uniform skirts definitely cut down on the amount of splinters she got in her legs.

Perched on the makeshift ladder, she called out a final goodbye to the dog watching her before departing. "Wish me luck!"

Figuring she'd stalled enough time already, she let go. The stomach-in-throat falling sensation only lasted for a moment before the whole body tingle commenced. The jewel shard dangling between her breasts glowed brightly and she was suddenly kneeling in cool, moist dirt.

Dusting off her hands, she stood up. "Was it always that fast?" Kagome shook her head and latched onto the thick, tumbling vines that grew along the well wall. "I’m talking to myself already." There was plenty of new growth she had to navigate, but a few of her trusty handholds were still there. Her climbing skills were a bit rusty, but she managed to reach the top in less than ten minutes.

Gripping the vines so tightly cramped her fingers and she flexed them as she looked around. The clearing around the well was nearly unchanged but for a few flower patches that sprouted up sporadically. Kagome straightened out her military style, green jacket and dark grey sweater and started walking. The trail to the village was overgrown with weeds as if it hadn't been used since she left. The thought made her frown. Had no one even thought about her? Surely Miroku and Sango would have stopped by...wouldn't they? Shippō had said he'd visit all the time, but by the looks of it, no one had even wandered this way by accident for some time.

The possibility that she was so easily forgotten cut deep. At least Inuyasha had a legitimate reason for avoiding the well; she'd basically told him off and deserted him. There may have been issues between them, but she was still his friend and abandoning each other was not something friends did. She did not believe it was a situation where clear lines were drawn, but time gave the impression that perhaps she was alone on one side of this particular line.

Kagome realized she'd stopped walking and vacantly looked up at the reason why. It was the same tree she'd used her hand to press a kiss to not half an hour ago. Gazing up at Goshinboku, she clearly remembered the first time she'd fallen through the well. She'd been disoriented and scared half out of her mind until she burst through the shrubbery and saw him pinned to the tree. He'd still been under Kikyō's spell then, so his face had been peaceful with magic-induced sleep. Despite being thoroughly entangled with the overgrown vines, Inuyasha had, even then, managed to chase away her fears. She'd felt an instant calm unlike any she'd experienced before and it was only in his presence that she felt that secure.

Striding closer, she stopped at the base and gazed up along its smooth trunk to the stout branches. She rested an open palm on the almost-polished bark and something brushed against her aura. Kagome jerked her hand back and scowled. It wasn't the touch of a yōkai, but it was something just as dangerous – the fact that she hadn’t even been back in this era twenty minutes was just seemed a tad overzealous. 

She whirled around and dropped the hand she instinctively lifted to her bow. "Come out, Kikyō. You can't hide from me."

The energy pushing against hers flared and Kagome glanced to her left just as a pair of Shinidamachū emerged from the woods. The reanimated priestess glided out behind them and stopped when she was an arms-length away. "You came back after all."

Gone was the somewhat civil Kikyō she'd left behind, a haggard presence standing before her now. It seemed her aggressive nature had returned during her absence. Kagome sighed. "Yes. I came back."

"You don't sound enthusiastic about it.'

She wanted to roll her eyes with exasperation. "That's because I'm standing here talking to you." Kagome shrugged. "Why? I don't know. I don't see how this benefits me at all considering the number of times it's bitten me in the ass in the past." She almost smiled at how she fell back to Inuyasha's manner of speech, not entirely sure it was a good thing.

Kikyō seemed content with her assessment. "Your spirit energy has grown stronger. Manipulating you would prove difficult."

Kagome crossed her arms under her breasts in a slightly defensive manner, the strap of her bag and quiver pressing against her sternum through her sweater. "I felt you pushing at my soul. That's never happened before." Her eyes narrowed accusingly. "You were trying to mess with me before I even realized you were lurking in the forest. You tried that crap in the past, but this time I knew."

The priestess only smiled. "I must act upon all advantageous opportunities to defeat my enemies."

"I am not your enemy!" Kagome had to restrain herself from shouting hysterically, already fed up with this supposed competition between them. "I just don't desire Inuyasha's death! Does that really make me your enemy?!"

Kikyō's amusement faded. "Yes."

Kagome hardly believed that was the only reason. "Miroku and Sango don't want him dead, but I don't see you singling them out to kill them." She had a horrible urge to close the distance between them and take back the remainder of her soul. "There's more to it than that, there has to be." She stared coldly into eyes that mirrored her own.

Kikyō remained silent under the scrutiny and Kagome took a threatening step forward. "Fine. Don't admit it. You don't have to. I know why you want me gone." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "It must really burn to see him with me knowing that I'm alive and you're dead."

"You wouldn't understand." Kikyō sneered at her.

"Try me." Kagome forced herself to take a step back and relax. This wasn't like her to antagonize Kikyō. In fact, the only real emotion she felt for her was pity. "I understand perfectly." Her left hand rested over the jewel shard hidden beneath her shirt. She felt all the same emotions whenever Inuyasha had spoken of Kikyō. "I know that I'm the one that receives the warmth of his smiles, the comforting strength of his arms, and the confidence of his secrets – or at least I did. If Naraku hadn't killed you, then it would be you standing alongside him. I know exactly-"

"Enough!" Kikyō's anger lashed out in a slap of energy so strong it spun her head. Her aura crackled with energy and her knee-length black hair fanned out around her head like some sort of twisted halo. "I've grown tired of your all-knowing wisdom!"

Kagome threw her hands up to shield her face. The ferocity of her power was strong, blowing the air around like a vortex. Flashes of lavender light streaked out to strike her body, tearing at her clothes. She jerked back and moved out of range. She'd never seen Kikyō this enraged; it was like looking upon a deranged facsimile of herself hell-bent on destruction. She chanced glancing away to examine her clothes. The heavy canvas of her jacket had small tears through the upper most layer, but not enough to cut through to the sweater and t-shirt she wore beneath it. Her legs weren't triple layered, though, and each tear in the denim showed a hint of red and she realized she was bleeding from numerous shallow slashes.

She hadn't felt any pain until now, stinging running up and down her legs. Why was it that they hadn't hurt until she'd seen the blood? Kagome stiffened her shoulders and turned back to Kikyō. "What are you trying to do? You’ve only managed to ruin my clothes." She planted her hands on her hips. "You know that your power can't hurt me if I don't want it to."

Kikyō's snarl faded to an arrogant smirk. "Then why do you?" She laughed. "You deserve to feel what my heart endures every time I see you with him. Even if the pain is fleeting, knowing that you truly understand will satisfy me."

Had something happened while she was gone to make Kikyō act this way? They had always been at odds to some extent, but never aggressively. "Stop this! The only reason you feel pain is because you wish to take Inuyasha's life with you when you die and he hesitates because of me! I'm not really the one you're angry with, but I'm just an easy target!" She staggered under another blast and was left panting from the force of it. A loud ripping sound came from her right shoulder and she glanced to see the sleeve of jacket torn through. Kagome turned her eyes back and glared at her scornfully. "You wouldn't be so bold if he were here now. Inuyasha would be severely disappointed if he saw you now."

Kikyō suddenly disappeared in a flash of white and crimson. Kagome caught the snapping twang of a bowstring, an almost natural sound to her now, and her instincts shot her into motion. Jumping to her right, she tried to evade the arrow sailing for her head – and only partially succeeded.

A white hot burn seared her left cheek and she winced. She'd assumed she would be able to dodge it, but she had again underestimated Kikyō’s resolve. Keeping her hands away from the cut on her cheek, she moved only her eyes to gaze at where the arrow had imbedded itself in the trunk of the Goshinboku. A warm wetness streaked down her cheek and dripped off her chin to pat softly onto the front of her sweater.

Kagome cut her fiery brown eyes back to the priestess. "You just tried to kill me."

"And failed." She strung another arrow. "If you so much as utter a single syllable of his name again, I'll make sure I don't miss twice."

Her body was screaming tiny hurts just about all over and now her life had been threatened. There was always a point where enough was enough and Kagome had blown past hers by a mile. She'd tried to give the dead priestess the benefit of the doubt, but having it thrown back in her face was aggravating. "I didn't want to fight you, but you've forced my hand."

At one time she was unable to use her spiritual energy consciously, having it only sprout up to instinctively protect her and channel within her arrows. Times had changed, however, and now she could manipulate it into any form she wished. There weren't many people well-versed in spiritual energy like hers, but weekly meditation with a local psychic had allowed her to unlock the power and control it. It had actually been a fortune teller at a carnival she'd gone to with friends that had commented on it, suggesting meditation to help her master her gift. Kagome put all that hard work to the test and allowed her eyes to slip shut.

Calming her mind, Kagome reached deep within herself. A few months had passed since the last time she'd used her power and it took her a moment to find the thread of it. Her eyes snapped open as she wrapped herself in its tingling warmth like a cloak. It permeated the air around her until her hair fluttered in the breeze. Locking eyes with the unnerved priestess across the clearing, she held out her hand as if she was longing for a lost lover's touch. "Kikyō."

The ethereal priestess gritted her teeth and shot another arrow. "No!"

Kagome's aura billowed around her willowy figure like a fog, blanketing the wooden projectile. The arrow stilled in its flight and dropped harmlessly to the forest floor. Kagome shook her head sadly as she stared at it. "I warned you." Stiffening the fingers on her out-stretched hand, she curled into the depths of her energy and shot it outward.

It manifested itself physically, snapping the elegant longbow into pieces and throwing Kikyō to the ground. She cried out softly from the impact and gasped when the air around her started to glow. The faded blue light intensified and Kagome dropped her hand when the first soul orb vacated Kikyō's body.

Kikyō groaned and crawled to her feet, her soul-collecting eels winding themselves around her. "I will not allow you to steal back the last piece of my soul." She hovered off the ground and disappeared into the forest.

Kagome didn't watch her go. Her power was stronger than she remembered. She hadn't intended on striking her so deeply, but she was out of practice. Now that she'd tapped into that enormous reservoir of power, it would take no real conscious thought on her part to use it skillfully. She shivered as she stared at the broken weapon in the grass. Rubbing her chilly hands up and down her arms to warm them, she turned back toward the Goshinboku and wondered if coming back had been such a good idea after all.


	7. Chapter 7

_“I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters and brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them a mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.” – Maya Angelou_

* * *

 

"Put your weight behind it and remember to use your hips, otherwise you'll have no power."

Shippō nodded. "Okay." He set his paws about shoulder width apart and bent slightly at the knees. "Like this?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha sank down onto his haunches and held up both of his hands, palms facing the kitsune. "Now hit me."

Shippō hesitated. "You're not going to hit back, are you?"

The hanyō sighed. "Do you want to learn to fight or not?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then hit me."

The fox kit clenched his much smaller fists tightly and threw them into Inuyasha's open palms. The impact made a quiet smacking sound, skin on skin. The punches were light and steady, first the right, then the left. His auburn brows were knitted with concentration as he focused on his target. He pulled back his left and shot out with the right. This time it stung up his wrist when he hit his mark. "Ow!"

Inuyasha took hold of his cradled limb and ran his fingers along the joint to feel the bones. "You gotta remember to keep your wrist straight. It'll break if you aren't careful." He rubbed the tender spot when Shippō winced. "You just jammed it a little. It'll be fine in a few hours."

Shippō took his hand back and flexed his fingers, grimacing. "Have you ever broken your wrist before?"

"A few times when I was younger." Inuyasha shrugged. "I didn't have anyone to teach me, so I had to learn the hard way." He stood up. "Pain is always a good teacher."

"I hate it."

"It's good for you. Fighting causes pain and if you don't sweat the small stuff, the big stuff isn't so bad." He watched Shippō soak in what he'd said and process it.

He was staring downward, but he turned his deep green eyes to glance up at him. "Speaking from experience?"

"Hell yes." Inuyasha slid his hands into his sleeves and shut his eyes. "Pain is always honest and will never let you pass your limitations. It's an ally to you."

Shippō sighed. "I'll never be a good fighter."

"Why?" The hanyō glared down at him skeptically. "You did fine."

"Yeah,  _fine._  Not  _great_  or even  _good._ "

"You've only been training for one day. You can't be an expert overnight. It takes practice."

He looked up almost shyly, which was odd for Shippō. He was anything but shy. "I want to be as strong a fighter as you." He grinned. "And you know what they say..."

Inuyasha snorted. "No, I don't."

"The student will one day surpass his teacher."

"Feh." He started walking along the riverbank. "That'll never happen."

Shippō trotted alongside him. "You don't think I could take you?"

Inuyasha peeked out of the corner of his eye. "Not in a million years."

The kitsune laughed. "Alright. I accept the fact that I'll never be competitive against you because you're so much bigger, but size has nothing to do with skill." He rubbed his hands together. "I'm pretty sure I can become a more adept fighter than you."

"There are different kinds of fighters, Shippō. There are those that rely on instinct alone and others that rely on dedicated training. It also depends on the kind of experience you've had and how much." Inuyasha bowed his head. "Every fighter has their own style too. The more styles you're exposed to, the better you'll get."

"You sound like you really know what you're talking about." Shippō scooped up a rock and tossed it into the river.

"I would hope so. Fighting is the one thing I  _know_  how to do." He'd been fighting ever since his mother had died, and that had been a very long time ago. It was all he really knew until he met Kikyō, but even that had resulted turmoil and death. Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and even the squirt beside him had shown him that there were better ways to solve problems than with violence. It may have been the driving factor behind their joining, but fighting was something none of them partook in among themselves.

"That's for sure. When you're not using your fists, you use your mouth."

The hanyō swiped at his head, but the fox ducked out of reach. He growled softly. "Watch it, bub. I could give you a real fight and knock your funny, little block off."

Shippō chortled and danced just out of his range. "Aren't we sensitive today?"

"I don't have to teach you anything if all you're gonna be is a pain in the ass. Have Miroku or Sango teach you if you want to be that way." Inuyasha crossed his arms and ignored him.

"If I wanted to learn from them, then I would've asked  _them_ , but I didn’t." His small face grew serious. "I want you to teach me."

"I thought my way was too aggressive and unorthodox. You're always telling me to use my head more."

Shippō shrugged. "I only said that when you fought with Kagome. She didn't deserve to be attacked all the time."

"I never attacked her."

Shippō continued as if he hadn't spoken. "And I always approved of your battle strategies. The only one who didn't was Sesshōmaru, so it must be his voice you're hearing."

"Look!" He latched onto the back of Shippō’s chestnut-colored fur vest. "I don't need you psychoanalyzing me!" He shook him until the kit's ears rung and tossed him back the ground.

Shippō straightened out his clothes. "You're right. That was out of line."

Inuyasha forgave him with silence and continued following along the riverbank. Nothing he'd said wasn't at least partially true, so who was he to complain? He took a cursory scenting of the air and cast a puzzling glance at the kit humming to himself beside him. Had he added scents to his illusionary repertoire? If he had, it made for a very cruel joke considering the remark he'd just made. The hanyō broadened his perception and caught the physical wisps of Sesshōmaru's aura. 

Even Shippō’s skill with illusion couldn’t mimic that frosty snap of power.

He proceeded like nothing was amiss and waited for the inu-yōkai to show himself. Knowing Sesshōmaru, it would be dramatic in order to reinforce the fact his older brother was obnoxious snob – at least that's how it always felt like to him. Sesshōmaru never passed up the chance to prove his superiority as a full-blooded yōkai, but his tongue-lashings had lost quite a bit of their sting when he'd given up on becoming a full-fledged yōkai. He just accepted his half-blood status as well as he could manage when his elder brother showed his face. It kept all the barbs from digging under his skin and festering. The only reason Sesshōmaru insulted him was because of his mixed blood and Inuyasha knew that if he had been a true yōkai there wouldn't be any insults to begin with.

If he had been a full-blooded inu-yōkai, the relationship between them would be that of true blood brothers and not the dysfunctional one it was now. The knowledge only made him dislike Sesshōmaru more.

The dirt path ahead veered away from the river to cut through the forest. Following it would take them south to skirt past the yōkai-taijiya village. From there they'd make to Miroku and Sango's little wooded homestead, which sat almost exactly halfway between the taijiya village and Kaede's village.

Shippō bounded ahead of him and he almost shouted a warning, but thought better of it. He didn't need Sesshōmaru to think he considered him a threat. His brother's scent was stronger now; he was just around the curve waiting for them. Inuyasha clenched his jaw and suffocated a growl of frustration. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his annoyingly enigmatic sibling, but Sesshōmaru wouldn't just allow his presence to be ignored. Inuyasha wasn't fooled by his reclusive behavior. The yōkai enjoyed being the center of attention more than he'd ever admit to.

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyō didn't increase his pace at Shippō's anxious call. He knew well enough that Sesshōmaru only had a bone to pick with him, not his kitsune companion. If something was about to go down, it would just have to wait for him to get there. Inuyasha smirked; a little waiting wouldn’t kill the bastard. He retained the smug expression as he turned away from the babbling riverbank and went around the bend.

Shippō hadn't gotten any further than the first line of trees. He glanced back at him. "It's Sesshōmaru."

He nodded slowly as he approached his brother. "It  _is_  Sesshōmaru, isn't it?" He didn't try to hide his sarcasm. The yōkai stood with all his regal glory and managed to make his rich amber eyes stare coldly. Inuyasha exaggerated a lean to gaze behind the ruff of fur and raised a brow in mock curiosity. "What? No entourage?"

Sesshōmaru regarded him tiredly. "I see that you have not lost your pettiness."

The hanyō gave a Gallic shrug, giving away nothing. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your ugly mug?"

"Do you honestly have no suspicions as to my being here?" His tone was slightly accusatory, with a hint of disbelief.

Inuyasha dropped his amused act and glared at him. "Of course I have my suspicions. Most have me dead at the end."

That brought a wickedly warm smile to his brother's face. "True, but killing you is not my purpose this time."

"Well, lucky me." He rested his hands at his belt, the left resting lightly on the hilt of the Tessaiga.

Sesshōmaru didn't miss anything. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"You would consider lying unbecoming and dishonorable. So, of course, I know you're not lying. You may be an asshole, but you're never dishonest." He smirked. "But just because you haven't come to kill me doesn't mean you haven't come for something else."

"You surprise me, Inuyasha. I would not have thought you capable of utilizing that brain of yours." He shut his eyes as he spoke.

The hanyō couldn't restrain the growl from rumbling out of his throat. "If you have some other purpose than to bust my balls, then get to it."

The yōkai ran his hand along the thick fur of his stole. "Still crude as well."

"When you've lived the kind of life I have, then I might allow you to pass a fucking judgment, but until then I suggest you keep them to your goddamn self." The bitter anger in his words radiated in the air and had Shippō ducking behind him. Inuyasha took a step forward and pointed into his brother's face. "You came here to say something, so fucking say it."

The flat, whispered tone caught all of Sesshōmaru's attention and all the amusement faded from his calculated features. Inuyasha had always been painfully blunt, but trivial complaints always seemed to cloud his attention before. His half-breed brother had managed to, partially, ignore his barbs. Perhaps he was finally maturing out of his destructive phase - there would only be one way to truly tell. "It seems you've finally been able to focus now that your little priestess has left you."

Inuyasha went utterly still, to the point that even his very aura seemed to disappear. He was so motionless that Sesshōmaru had a brief moment of unease. Only the dead were this silent and unmoving, and he doubted his words were enough to kill the hanyō – death was the one thing he staunchly refused to succumb to.

The stillness was short-lived; by the time he'd taken a breath the hanyō's aura vibrated the air so violently that it started to scrawl into the dirt and rip the leaves right off the branches. He would've thought it impossible for a half-breed to be so powerful, but Inuyasha always proved to be the exception to the rule.

Sesshōmaru regarded him blandly as his canine ears flattened menacingly, and despite the raging exterior his voice was relatively calm. "For a long time I considered you to be the biggest fucking scumbag I knew in existence. How completely fucking asinine of me to think you had ever changed." He quieted a bit, hair floating back down to its usual length. "That was a low blow, even for you. It's something I'd expect from your sniveling little servant."

"Jaken's indulgence for insults was the reason I came alone. His negative interference was not needed." Though he gave away nothing, it grated on his last nerve to be compared to his idiot of a servant.

"Ha!" Inuyasha cackled harshly. "Seems you've done a bang-up job all on your own." He stopped laughing abruptly and glared mischievously. "But two can play that game." He slid his hands into his sleeves and closed his twinkling amber eyes. "You never answered my question earlier." He cracked one eye open. "What happened to Rin?"

Sesshōmaru was actually caught off guard and blinked with surprise. "That's none of your concern."

"Oh, I think it is considering I spend most of my time protecting the weak human population from fuckers like you."

"Do not compare me to the filth you slay."

Inuyasha ignored him. "So, did your hatred of humans finally get the best of you? Hm? Did you finally cut her down with that big, bad sword of yours?" He raised a suspicious brow. "We both know she'd follow you to gates of hell and smile the whole fucking time. Did she smile when you cut her pretty little throat?"

"Enough." Sesshōmaru glared so coldly it had Shippō shivering behind Inuyasha's leg. The hanyō was overstepping his bounds, yet he made no move to reprimand him. The memories were too strong inside his head.

_"Where are we going?"_

_He regarded the bouncing human sprite beside him a moment before returning his keen gaze on the village down the hillside. "To that village."_

_Her lively skipping gait halted in the tall grass as she balled her hands against her chest. "A village?"_

_The stark fear thrumming through her normally lightsome voice stilled him. He'd known from the start that she wouldn't go willingly, but this deep-rooted fear was unanticipated. It was an alien feeling, to be unnerved, and he continued to face away. "Yes."_

_Her bleak whispers brought on an uncanny wave of dread. "Why?" She dashed towards him and wrapped her small fingers into the thick white fur of his stole. "Why, Lord Sesshōmaru? Do you no longer want this Rin?"_

_Though his expression was calmly neutral, he didn't heed the speed with which he turned to look down into her crying eyes. The sight of her elicited emotions he didn't want to name and in his anxiety, his language grew harsh. "Cease your caterwauling. You are to stay in this village."_

_She pulled on the heavy fur. "My place is with you!"_

_Her mulish attitude only succeeded in testing his patience. "You would disobey this Sesshōmaru?"_

_The bite of his words stung and she stepped away in shock, releasing her grip and backing away in fear. "No. This Rin will not disobey her Lord Sesshōmaru." She bowed her head in the fashion befitting of a servant._

_The possessive use of his title struck a chord within him and his tone softened. "In the past I have allowed you to do as you please, but the time has come for you to return to your own kind." He watched as her tears stopped and her face brightened again. "Your place is there now."_

_Though no longer sad, she didn't smile. She glanced down the hill at the village and all its occupants, and then returned to stare at the ground before her feet. He knew without a doubt that she was remembering the attack that had left her an orphan. Not a victim of yōkai, but of bandits- her own kind. It was these memories that fueled the strong fear of villages and her fellow humans. She let out a soft sigh and nodded. "I will stay in the village, but know that this Rin would rather be with her Lord Sesshōmaru."_

_Though no such words would ever pass his lips, he was immensely proud of the girl standing before him. He looked past her and watched the elderly woman Jaken had commissioned to care for Rin, striding slowly up the lane towards them. The girl noticed his line of sight and whimpered almost silently at the sight of her. "You need not worry, Rin. You will be safe here."_

_His words of comfort shocked them both and she smiled. "I believe you, Lord Sesshōmaru." Her blind faith in him had him nearly smiling._

_Nearly._

_They regarded each other silently until the woman stopped beside her and bowed deeply to him. She addressed him bravely. "This is she?"_

_"Yes." His tourmaline eyes flicked back to the young girl in the vermilion and white kimono. "Rin, you will be staying with this woman."_

_She studied the woman's fragile build and nodded. "Yes."_

_Not wanting to prolong this parting anymore, he turned away and started back up the path from hence he'd come._

_"Lord Sesshōmaru!"_

_He stopped and glanced over his shoulder._

_"Will you come back for me?" She'd jumped forward, eyes heavy from anxiety._

_"No."_

_She dropped her outstretched hand and stared at the ground. It wasn't what she'd wanted to hear, but it could be no other way. Pulling his eyes away, he resumed his trek very much aware of the woman trying to usher her down the hill. Rin fussed until she was released. "It doesn't matter! When I'm old enough, I will leave to find you! This Rin belongs with her Lord Sesshōmaru!"_

_With that, she turned away and allowed herself to be taken to the village._

Sesshōmaru turned his eyes back to those of his brother. "Your point has been made." He glanced at the kitsune that stared at him with bewilderment. "I have come to inform you that Naraku has awakened and plotting once again."

Inuyasha was now the one blinking with astonishment. "Naraku's awake?" That meant the jewel had awakened as well. Kagome was coming back and he suddenly didn't feel as elated as he thought he might. His gaze narrowed. "Why would you warn me? You wouldn't care one bit if he killed me."

"That is where you are wrong." Sesshōmaru turned until he was perpendicular to the hanyō. " _I_  am the only one with the right to end your miserable existence. I do not need you dying because you do not keep yourself updated in the affairs of the yōkai world." Sesshōmaru wasted no more time on his sibling and left them standing side by side in mutual shock.

Shippō was the first to recover and proceeded to dart around his companion like a hummingbird. "She's coming back! She's coming back!"

Inuyasha only vaguely registered the kitsune's crazed excitement. Kagome was returning. That knowledge changed some things and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. On one hand he was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing her, touching her, smelling her – but meeting her face-to-face knotted his belly with apprehension. What if she was a totally different person? What if she no longer cared about any of them, even Shippō?

What if she'd fallen in love with someone else?

Anger raced up his spine like a wildfire. Just the thought of another male's hands on her was like dealing with Kōga all over again. He breathed out through his teeth. "Thank fuck he isn't a threat anymore."

Shippō paused in his antics. "You're not talking about Sesshōmaru, are you? I'm pretty sure he just said he'd kill you."

"Feh." Inuyasha crossed his arms. "He's all bark and no bite. He could've done it right then, but he's too in love with the sound of his own voice to shut up and do it."

The kitsune frowned. "I can recall a few times when he'd come pretty close- ow!" He rubbed the newly formed knot on his head "Whatcha do that for!?"

The hanyō dropped his fist. "So you learn to keep your opinions to yourself." He whirled on his heel and stalked down the path in the same direction his elder brother had taken. "Let's go."

Shippō scampered after him. "We're still going to Miroku and Sango's right?"

"Yes."

"Good. I haven't seen Kirara in ages." He caught up and managed to keep pace with his comrade's much larger stride. "I bet Miroku and Sango will be ecstatic about Kagome coming back. Don't you?"

"Of course they will." There weren't any issues between them that could potentially destroy their friendship and Inuyasha couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.

"You don't sound too happy, Inuyasha." Shippō gazed at him worriedly. "I thought you'd be racing back to your forest to meet her."

"What do you mean? Of course I'm happy." He cursed; he sounded anything but happy. In fact, he sounded downright miserable. He should be pleased that his friend was coming back. Kagome wasn't just a girl he felt strongly for, she was also the closest person he had to a best friend next to Miroku. The kind of friend that was unwaveringly loyal and dependable. He relaxed a bit and decided to try and take the good with the bad. His friend was returning, which was good, but he'd very likely broken her heart, and  _that_  was bad.


	8. Chapter 8

_“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” – Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest_

* * *

 

There was a woman following the same trail about a mile or so ahead. He'd caught her scent hours ago, but was still waiting for Shippō to pick up on it. There was a strong breeze and it shouldn't have mattered how sensitive his sense of smell, but it seemed the kit was oblivious. How was he supposed to learn to fight if he didn't use his resources? He sighed and resigned himself to the task of pointing it out. "Hey, Shippō," he called to the kitsune trotting ten paces ahead. "What do you smell?"

Shippō blinked puzzled green eyes at him. "Why are you asking me? Your nose is way better than mine."

"That's only because you don't want to embrace it. It's rusted from lack of use." The wind ruffled his hair. "Scent the wind, Shippō. Tell me what you smell."

He did as asked and frowned. "I can smell the forest and the water from the river, but there's a perfume scent I don't know."

"That scent is coming from the woman ahead."

Shippō glanced back and forth between the hanyō and the trail. "Is she coming towards us?"

"No, we've been following her for the past few hours."

"Is that why we stopped earlier? Because of her? We don't normally take breaks and we're in kind of a hurry now."

"Yeah. I didn't want us to scare her." Inuyasha tweaked his ears, listening.

"You're the only one that scares people. Maybe if you tried smiling once in a while they wouldn't be crying 'yōkai' all the time."

The hanyō stared disdainfully at him through rich amber eyes. "Hardy har har." He gazed back up the trail. "She's stopping by the creek again. Maybe we can just go right past her."

"Maybe." Shippō agreed.

It wasn't like he actually went around terrorizing people on purpose; he just gave off a very strong don't-mess-with-me vibe. He didn't really relish the idea of having a hysterical woman on his hands when she realized his ears weren't part of some kind of hood. He'd once had a kid actually try to remove his ears, thinking he was wearing a dog-skin cap. The thought had freaked him out and the experience hadn't been pleasant.

Inuyasha led Shippō down the sandy path and stopped at the spot where she had veered off to go down by the creek. She was humming softly to herself, but his ears caught the sound as if he were sitting right beside her. "She's humming."

Shippō stepped onto the smaller path and hesitated. "Kagome used to hum sometimes."

Inuyasha sighed. "She's not Kagome. I know what she smells like," he jabbed a clawed finger in the girl's direction, "and that's  _not_  her."

Shippō glowered at him. "It's been five years and I'm not passing up the chance that it might be her."

"You think I'd forget her scent?" Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The kit shook his head and darted up the path. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

The hanyō snarled with disbelief and chased after him. The fox was getting more and more out of hand by the day. Eventually there was going to come a time when his impulsive behavior did more harm than good. He raced after him, catching a glimpse of his fluffy tail just as the trail broke into a small clearing. Inuyasha dove forward and tackled Shippō, sending them both to roll across the dirt and splashing into the creek.

The water was shockingly cold and Shippō hissed with surprise. The water was just about waist deep and Inuyasha merely stood up, shaking the chilly moisture from his head. He had just enough time to take a deep breath before the kit launched out of the depths to attack his head. "Bloody hell!"

Shippō clawed at his head. "Why do you always have to beat me up?! I can't stand it!"

It was similar to being swarmed by angry bees. A thousand stinging scratches were welling up on his skin faster than he could keep track. If he didn't stop him, he wouldn't have a face left. Inuyasha lashed out with his right hand and snatched what he thought was a leg, and threw the squalling kit back into the water. "Knock it off!"

"Ah!" He disappeared with a splash.

Inuyasha sighed and started to wring out his hair, grumbling under his breath that there were little shits way more out of control than him in the world. Water trickled into his ears and he gave a strong shake to dispel it. There was nothing he hated more than being water-logged; it gave him migraines. He turned towards the bank to vacate the creek when his hair stood on end. Hesitating, he slowed his motion and lifted his eyes to blink through his soggy bangs.

Kneeling in the soft sand of the bank, not three feet away, was the floral smelling woman he'd been trying to avoid. Her honey colored eyes were wide and blinked while her mouth formed a delicate 'O' with surprise. She wasn't moving or speaking, just staring at him with amazement. Inuyasha watched her watch him and almost winced when her bright eyes fell on his ears. Her mouth shut and the hanyō just sighed and waited for the scream.

* * *

 

Kagome was shivering uncontrollably by the time she trudged into Kaede's village. Her teeth chattered as she hugged herself, cursing Kikyō with every vibrating breath. She would have been warm if the berserk priestess hadn't torn up her clothes; the breeze seeping through intensified her goose bumps. It always surprised her how clear and crisp the air was here than back in the present. It was actually rejuvenating in its freshness. It also meant that the temperatures were truer, and the autumn air was downright frigid.

The villagers seemed unperturbed by the weather. They went about their chores, which consisted of tending the fields, livestock, or the day's wash, unaffected. Only when they caught sight of Kagome did they stray their attention. Most of them she knew from before and they greeted her with warm smiles and waves. A few of the youngest children were bewildered by her odd manner of dress and cowered behind their mother's skirts. Eventually, with some coaxing and assurances that she wasn't some kind of yōkai, they ran around in happy, shouting circles.

Kagome liked playing with the children. It reminded her that most of a priestess's time and energy was spent guiding and healing the people, with protection secondary. Thanks to Kikyō's reincarnated soul, she possessed the powers and Kaede had given her the training. Technically, she could be the high priestess of a village if she didn't have the Shikon Jewel to recover.

Looking around the village, she saw no signs of her friends. Instead she saw Kaede being led down the path toward her by some of the older children. She smiled and jogged to close the distance between them. The elderly priestess was more withered than she remembered, relying on the use of a cane to aid her movement. When they finally came face to face, Kagome towered over her hunched frame. She knew she'd grown taller over the years, but not that much. It seemed the poor woman was shrinking with age.

Kagome gently took her outstretched hand into her own. "It's so good to see you, Lady Kaede!"

"I am glad to see you as well." Her face had wrinkled with age, more so than she could recall, and her eye patch had been traded for a soft cloth tied around her head. Her garb was still that of a priestess, but it was clear that the years were finally catching up with her. She glanced at the children. "I'll be fine now children. Go on and get to your chores. Kagome and I have many things to discuss."

Kaede's word was akin to gospel and the children obeyed without protest. Once alone, she gestured for Kagome to walk beside her. "I had a feeling I would be seeing you soon." She turned and started slowly back toward her hut. "Five years is too long for a yōkai such as Naraku to lie dormant and I can only fear that was done by choice."

Kagome wasn't particularly in the mood to speak about Naraku, but she didn't really have a choice. If she wished for silly conversation, then it was Shippō she should be talking to – wherever he was. She shook her head. "Yeah, it didn't sit right with me either. It's just too illogical."

"Aye, but to the yōkai it is a way to strengthen defenses. I fear that his purpose was to fortify his incantations – especially the one guarding his heart."

"The infant?"

"Yes. The infant was very helpless and Naraku's heart in his care. A body such as the one he had is hardly what is needed to protect something as vital as a yōkai heart."

"So he gave it time to grow." She frowned as she slipped inside Kaede's hut behind her. "Does that mean all his incarnations have grown and strengthened as well?"

"I would imagine so." She grimaced painfully as she sat down beside the fire.

"What's ailing you, Kaede?" Kagome shrugged out of her bag and quiver, resting them against the wall near the door.

"It's just an ache in my withering joints." She smiled, starting to poke at the embers of the fire.

"I hope you're not in any pain."

"No, child. It is nothing for you to worry about." She looked confused about her appearance. "What has happened to your clothing?"

"Oh," Kagome pulled at the shredded denim of her jeans. "Kikyō."

Kaede seemed saddened by this. "My sister spoke with you?"

"Well, that would be putting it nicely." She bit her lip in thought. "Did something happen to her?"

"Sadly, no." Kaede shakily stood up and hobbled over to a small trunk on the other side of the room. She rummaged around for a bit and stepped back with a carefully wrapped bundle. "Kikyō's soul is a borrowed one and it knows that it truly belongs to you now." She stopped beside her and held out the bundle. "Take these."

Kagome accepted it curiously and untied the twine holding it closed. The cloth fell away to reveal a pristinely folded pile of clothes. "Lady Kaede, what are-?" She lifted the top piece and it unfolded into the stark white haori of a priestess. Laying it aside, she found the hakama to go with it, but instead of the traditional red that Kaede and Kikyō wore, these were done in a deep forest green; the kosode and tabi socks were there as well. She glanced up at the smiling old woman. "Are these for me?"

Kaede nodded. "I know you prefer your own style of dress, but this will allow you to blend in better. Since the jewel went dormant, yōkai have calmed, but now it is bandits and rōnin you must watch out for. They will be less inclined to bother a priestess." She gestured to the hakama. "I compromised by having them made with your signature color. During your absence, the people have come to calling you the Green Priestess."

Kagome grinned faintly at that, her school uniform becoming infamous amusing. "They're beautiful, thank you." She scooped them up and strode over to the screen to change. "Back to Kikyō though, is it my soul that's making her this way?"

Kaede's voice was softened from across the room. "Yes and no. The soul no longer belongs to her dead mind and heart, but to yours. It craves its living counterpart. It is essentially trapped within a dead being in the living world."

"In other words, it's being driven mad?" She paused the tying of her obi.

"Aye. That warring behavior has begun to erode the physically earth-created mind of Kikyō, subjecting her to bouts of madness." Kagome could hear the fire cracking and popping. "And Inuyasha's avoidance of her has only intensified her agitation."

Kagome nearly fell over when she stepped out from behind the screen. "What?" She trotted over to her side and knelt down, the long sleeves of her haori flapping. "Inuyasha... _avoided Kikyō_?"

Kaede nodded. "I believe he blamed her for you leaving him."

She frowned. "I left for myself and no one else. No one is to blame."

The older priestess glowered at her. "Did you tell him this?"

Kagome suddenly understood. "No."

"I will never say that Inuyasha is unintelligent, but when it comes to emotions he lacks sensitivity. He just assumes what he wishes."

"This is entirely my fault." Kagome's shoulders sagged. She'd been so conflicted and self-absorbed that she'd ignored a lot of important things. She had quite a few mistakes to remedy. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and pulled the elastic from her high ponytail. "Kaede, where is everyone?"

She looked up from her fire. "Miroku and Sango have a small home along the road to the yōkai-taijiya village."

"They're living together? Did they get married?"

She nodded. "Yes. I, myself, performed the ceremony."

"Huh." She continued to finger-comb her wavy hair as if the news didn't sting. They could've had Inuyasha at least come tell her – even he would've ignored their own problems to do it. Still, perhaps she had acted like she didn't want to be bothered a little too strongly. Like she’d said, it was her fault all this was discombobulated. "That's nice."

"Shippō originally stayed with them, but he reached his yōkai adolescence and became destructive. They had trouble keeping him under control, so Inuyasha took him."

"Wasn't Inuyasha staying with them too?"

"Heavens, no." She laughed. "Inuyasha has spent the last five years wandering about the countryside. The longest he's spent here or there is perhaps a month."

Inuyasha wandering was nothing new, but it sounded so restless and miserable. Kagome tied off the end of her sleek, single braid and brushed the loose tendril around her face to the side and out of her eyes. She stood up abruptly, looking very much like a priestess should. "It's time I stopped all this ridiculousness." She glanced down at Kaede. "Do you have a horse I could use?"

* * *

 

She didn't scream.

Instead, she shocked him by cocking her head to the side curiously. "Do I know you? You seem very familiar."

Inuyasha studied her face and thought he'd seen her before as well. She was dressed in a bland maroon kimono with pale cranes depicted in flight, and a dark navy blue obi. The sleeves were tied up around her shoulders. Her ebony hair hung loose to her hips when she stood, a small lock of it tied off on the right side of her head. Her wide honey eyes nagged at him and he knew he’d seen them somewhere before.

Shippō decided to scramble out of the water and lay panting on the sand. "Inuyasha..."

The girl blinked at him and he saw recognition in her eyes. "Inuyasha!" She clapped her hands together happily. "I  _do_  know you! You're Lord Sesshōmaru's little brother!"

That explained it. There was only one human female that would happily use his sibling's full title. He snorted grumpily. "Rin."

She seemed surprised to hear him speak her name. "You remember me?"

"Obviously." He waded out of the water and began to squeeze the moisture from his sodden clothes. "If you're supposed to be with that prick, then you're about a day late."

His comment seemed to deflate her bubble of happiness. "Oh, you've seen him?"

Inuyasha watched her curiously. "Yeah, about twelve hours ago on the trail. Why?"

She looked away wistfully. "I've been searching for him."

Shippō crawled to his feet. "I thought you were his ward? Why would you be searching for him?"

Rin glanced at the kit, but didn't really seem to see him. Her mind was somewhere else. "No. Lord Sesshōmaru sent me to live with an elderly woman in a village when I was thirteen."

Inuyasha looked her over. "How old are you now?"

She sighed and picked up the hollow gourd she'd filled with water. "Seventeen."

So he'd sent her away four years ago. It was no wonder Sesshōmaru had been so touchy when he brought her up yesterday. Did his icy brother actually have feelings for her?

Inuyasha couldn't help but shiver, electing not to contemplate that possibility. He studied her melancholy attitude and figured that at the very least she was deeply attached. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her and never wanted to punch Sesshōmaru more for being such a callous fool. It would be a very large stretch for him to see his brother showing anything warmer than hatred, but he didn't have to send her away when it was plain to see being in his company filled her with contentment.

He had a moment imagining a smile on the dai-yōkai's face and it was scarier than facing him armed with a hundred Tokijins. 

Inuyasha suppressed a shudder and slid his arms into the hanging bells of his sleeves. "Well, I hope you find him for your sake."

She smiled brilliantly at him and he cursed his ignorant relative. "Thank you, Lord Inuyasha."

The hanyō flinched. "Don't call me lord, please." He didn't want to be lumped into the same category as his sibling, especially by her.

"Wow, Inuyasha. You never say please for anything."

"Pipe down, will ya?" He glared at the kit.

Rin just continued to smile. "As you wish, Inuyasha."

"Well, seeing as you're  _not_  Kagome," he raised a fist in Shippō's direction. "We'll just go."

"Kagome?" She frowned a moment, but smiled quickly. "Oh, the Green Priestess!"

Inuyasha's brows furrowed. He'd heard the name before, but hadn't realized it was used in reference to Kagome. "You know her?"

She shook her head, the long sideways ponytail swaying gently. "No, but I heard her name spoken in the village I was in late last night. She had suddenly shown up there, I guess."

If what she said was true, then Kagome was headed to the monk’s home. "Are you sure?" Inuyasha held his breath.

"Yes, I saw her leave the village in the same direction I'm going."

"But I would've caught up with her too if that's the case." Inuyasha began to pace furiously.

"Oh, no." She laughed. "The priestess left on a beautiful dapple gray horse. She was in quite the hurry."

Inuyasha and Shippō exchanged a look. "Kagome? On a horse?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took creative liberty to age Rin some because adult!Rin - at least for the feudal era - appeals to me a lot and works better for the story I wrote.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: graphic violence, trauma, and blood.

_“The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.” – Joseph Heller, Catch-22_

* * *

 

She was exhausted. Her body sagged in the saddle with her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. She knew it was bad riding posture, but she really didn't care at this point. Too much had gone on to today and it felt like her brain had taken a dip in a deep fryer – and the day still wasn't over.

The late evening sun was hot against her back and managed to chase away her chills. The only reason she was still moving was because it was actually Shunsoku doing the moving. Kagome gave a silent prayer of thanks for the gem of a horse hidden away in Kaede's village.

She'd known he was special the moment her eyes met his. He'd regarded her coolly, measuring her as only the most intelligent of horses do. Kagome had waited patiently to see whether or not she was worthy – it had been a bit nerve-wracking. Shunsoku was the only horse in the tiny barn with the skills she needed and if he rejected her, she would be forced to deal with a much more ordinary horse. She'd almost collapsed with relief when he whickered softly and nosed her outstretched palms.

Shunsoku had once been a samurai's warhorse, but had wandered into the small village carrying his dead master in the saddle. The villagers had buried the warrior and put the horse up in the barn, deciding to use him for work. The animal would have nothing to do with it, constantly refusing to cooperate for menial chores. He wasn't much larger than the other native Japanese ponies, but his build was more refined and elegant. He reminded her very much of a fine-blooded Arabian, but without the dished face and angular hips. His steel gray, dappled coat was sleek and well-muscled underneath, but his hide bore the scars from survived battles. She guessed his bloodlines were very close to the ones that would come to outfit the Imperial Guard, intelligent and brave.

Kagome leaned forward and patted his neck. She'd needed a horse that wouldn't become a danger to her in a battle against yōkai and a veteran warhorse was perfect. The horse's elegantly curved ears swiveled around and she sat back up, taking a soft contact on his mouth with the reins – heightened instincts made for a great alarm system. "So they're still following us, huh?"

She hadn't thought she'd need to heed Kaede's warning about bandits and rōnin, but she was once again mistaken. Apparently, it mattered not that she was dressed as a priestess; they didn't seem to notice. Shunsoku had alerted her to their presence about ten miles into their trip. The men hadn't tried to hide, boldly following her with their weapons in plain view and malicious smirks on each of their filthy, weathered faces. Kagome had allowed her annoyance to show on her face before squeezing Shunsoku into a springy gallop. The horse had earned his name well, but it seemed the bandits were very determined.

Now they were out of sight, allowing only their noise to reach them. Shunsoku was becoming agitated, wringing his head from side to side and prancing beneath her nervously. Kagome looked around her surroundings and murmured quietly to her mount while searching for an exit. The bandits weren't going to leave her alone until they got what they wanted, and she would much rather face them in a setting of her choice. Trotting further, she spied a small clearing beside the creek that paralleled the trail. Perhaps if she trapped them she'd be able to escape the last few miles to Miroku and Sango's house and safety.

Whirling Shunsoku around, she directed him through the thick trees and burst into the clearing as shouts sounded behind her. Kagome couldn't stop her nerves from upsetting her stomach as she halted on the creek's bank. The low thudding of hooves vibrated the ground and Shunsoku pawed the ground anxiously. Her palms started to sweat as she stared into the darkening woods, waiting. She'd taken the steps needed and learned to defend herself – but not against four or five bandits. 

Kagome ignored the small part of her that wished Inuyasha was with her.

Shunsoku propped forward when the first man slipped out of from the forest, nearly tossing her from the saddle. Two more followed him, while the last two men remained at the tree's edge. The apparent leader of the group slowed his horse to a walk and approached her slowly. Kagome thought her heart would fail from its frantic pace. She managed to keep her anxiety and fear from plastering themselves on her face. 

She held Shunsoku as still as she could and watched the ugly little man on the scraggly pony circle around her. His eyes had a slightly manic gleam. "Hello, my lovely little priestess."

Kagome felt the stirrings of anger and it helped to settle her nerves. "What do you want?" She congratulated herself on sounding stern and annoyed, instead of shaky.

He chuckled. "That's a fine animal you're sitting on. Much nicer than a priestess such as yourself should possess." He edged his animal closer and she could hear the soft knocking sound the horse made with it breathed.

She couldn't help curling her lip with disgust. "So you want to trade up for a nicer model?" She sneered. "Maybe if you didn't beat the hell out of the one you have, you wouldn't have a problem."

He gawked at her a moment. "Bold words from a priestess all alone with no one to protect her. I'm not a yōkai that sutras and prayer beads will be effective upon."

Kagome tensed and Shunsoku hopped forward, rearing as the wild-eyed bandit lunged forward. She managed to stay on, but Crazy Eyes succeeded in latching onto the gray's bridle. The move surprised him and set Shunsoku spinning. Kagome gritted her teeth and let go of the reins, lashing out with a stiff hand and catching him in the throat; Crazy Eyes let go instantly.

Shunsoku only had a few seconds to regain his balance, but one of Crazy Eyes' friends spurred his horse and shoulder charged them. The dappled warhorse's feet slid out from beneath him and Kagome dove out of the saddle as he fell to keep her legs from being crushed. She landed hard, rolling, and lay dazed in the grass. Her ears rung and she watched Goon One dismount his abused mount and stalk over to straddle her waist. His meaty hands wrapped themselves around her delicate column of a throat and proceeded to squeeze. "Stupid wench!"

Kagome finally snapped out of her daze and bucked her body to try and dislodge him. Her efforts were futile, his weight too much for her to budge. He was laughing at her obvious panic and she moved her death grip from his wrists to claw at his face. She snarled despite the gagging sounds coming from her mouth and aimed for his eyes. Lunging upward with as much strength as she could muster, she drove her thumbs into his vulnerable eye sockets. He jerked away, but in doing so helped her out and his right eye crushed sickeningly. His hands left immediately to clutch at his face, howling inhumanly all the while.

Kagome painfully gasped for air, coughing harshly, and ignored the nausea that reared its head. Scrambling out from beneath him, she leapt to her feet and shot a powerful heel to into the back of his head, felling him instantly. She watched him fall and stood gasping, trying to find her bearings. "Shunsoku! Shunsoku!" She started to turn around. "Shunso- ah!"

The pain was instantly excruciating and she could feel the blade's entire length as it sunk into the back of her right shoulder. The hot breath of its wielder wafted over her neck as he stabbed her. The tears built up from her near-strangling spilled as she clenched her eyes shut in overwhelming hurt. She finished her turn when he let go and came face to face with another of the bandits. He was laughing as he watched her, but the expression on her face left him staring. Kagome panted from pain and glared out from under her heavy bangs. "You'll pay for that."

He snorted. "I doubt it."

Kagome swung her foot up into his groin. He bent over gasping and she couldn't even find it in her to smirk at her success, more infuriated than anything else. "Never doubt a priestess's word." Grabbing his bowed head, she threw it into her rising knee and listened dispassionately as his nose cracked. He flopped backward and lay sprawled out, totally unconscious.

She vaguely realized that they were only two of the five bandits and hissed painfully as she looked around. The blade ached white hot in her shoulder and she could feel the heavy run of blood down her arm and back. Crazy Eyes stood watching, while his two other cretins remained by the forest on horseback. She gritted her teeth and stepped towards him. "What are you waiting for?!" The only thing keeping her on her feet was sheer determination and shock-induced adrenaline. "Finish me off while you still can!" She laughed humorlessly. "Or are you just a coward?"

Crazy Eyes blinked with shock, but it was short-lived as he smiled. "Foolish woman. It's time to give you what you deserve for refusing me." He began running towards her, fist pulled back to strike.

Kagome faced him and judged the distance between them. This was exactly why she'd learned to fight. Inuyasha couldn't always be there to protect her and if she couldn't properly defend herself, she was as good as dead. Summing up her strength, she waited for him to come. The fist flew true, but she was ready for it, sliding to the left and grabbing his wrist with her right hand. Jerking it towards her, she used the stiffened heel of her left hand to slam into his elbow, cracking the delicate joint.

Crazy Eyes screamed and gawked at the awkwardly bent limb. Kagome ignored it and drove her foot into his knee, buckling his legs so he was kneeling before her. Ducking low, she darted her left elbow between his eyes and felled him. When she looked up from his broken body, the last two goons were heading towards her at a full gallop, brandishing swords bigger than her body.

* * *

 

Inuyasha dozed at the base of the large oak, ears flicking every few minutes to listen for Shippō. Rin's little surprise had sent the kit into an almost feverish rush and the only outlet he could think of was to have him scout on ahead. There were a lot of things Shippō needed to learn besides hand-to-hand combat and observing surroundings were a vital skill. He had no idea what he'd come back with, but it was sure to be strange; Shippō hardly ever did anything normal.

He sighed. Kagome had passed this way already and would probably be at the monk's home before Shippō and he arrived. He hated to say that he was almost sick with apprehension. It churned his stomach so sour that he'd refused his supper in fear of just vomiting it right back up. He'd never had problems keeping food down before and Shippō had noticed, but thankfully refrained from comment. He had no clue what to use as an excuse anyway. The kit wasn't a complete idiot and would've seen through his lie.

He opened his eyes and sat up, reaching up to run his claws along the prayer beads hung around his neck. Despite all his anxiety, he wanted to touch her, hold her tightly in his arms where she fit perfectly, head resting on his shoulder. His need to see her in the flesh was probably what was causing all his nerves. He missed her.

"Inuyasha!"

His ears perked and he crawled his way out of his thoughts. "Shippō?"

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" The kitsune appeared over the crest of the hill and ran towards him. "Inuyasha!" He skidded to a stop and panted, trying to speak while catching his breath. "Inuyasha..."

The urgency unnerved him. "What is it, Shippō?"

The fox pointed to where he'd just come. "A...woman is...in trouble..." He coughed. "Attacked...by bandits."

Inuyasha didn't hesitate. He snatched Shippō by the scruff of his neck, tossed him onto his shoulder, and bolted down the trail. An overwhelming sense of dread sank into his bones that couldn't be swayed. He hardly noticed the kit clinging to his back, exhausted. His reaction had alarmed the hanyō strongly, and now it felt as if he couldn't run fast enough.

His nose was of no help being that he was upwind from them. It was like running blind and hoping not to slam into a tree. The uncertainty of it all was nearly paralyzing.

It was his keen hearing he used to guide him, following the unmistakable sound of hooves and whinnies. He narrowed his eyes and dove through the foliage, straining to catch every whisper – including a woman's scream. The adrenaline thrumming through his limbs allowed him the speed and he burst into the clearing in time to see the woman ram her knee into one of the bandit's faces.

The sight of her stopped him short, suddenly frozen. The creature standing amid the fallen bodies and horses was no mere woman, but a priestess dressed in a deep forest green. Her long wavy bangs shrouded her face from his view, but he could see the long braid lying over her shoulder. Her frame was tall and willowy, but from what he'd just seen, very strong.

She was also soaked with stark, crimson blood.

It covered her entire right shoulder, cascading to drip from her dangling fingertips. It bore such a strong resemblance to Kikyō's wound that he could only stare. It was like re-living a sadistically realistic nightmare, though he knew Kikyō no longer bore such a wound. His heart beat faster. "No... It can't be..."

"What are you waiting for?! Finish me off while you still can! Or are you just a coward?"

Inuyasha blinked.  _That voice..._  He knew that voice! It was the same one that plagued his thoughts day-in and day-out. It was Kagome's voice. He couldn't hear the bandit's response and could only watch dumbfounded as he attacked. The bloody priestess just stood there, as if she would allow him to throttle her, but moved at the last possible second. Inuyasha watched her seamlessly and wondered how she was still moving, let alone fighting.

The Kagome he knew hadn't known how to fight either.

He stood transfixed as she dispatched with the bandit with ease, splattering blood everywhere as she did so. It was when she turned to watch the incoming riders that he saw the pain and fatigue etched into her face – Kagome’s face.

The bloody, fighting priestess was Kagome.

It seemed she wasn't finished, either. She whistled sharply and the gray horse standing off to the side of the clearing ran towards her. The animal blocked his view of her for a moment and it allowed his enraptured state to diminish. He tugged the comatose kit from his shoulder and raced towards them.

* * *

 

Shunsoku responded instantly, blocking her from her attackers. Kagome quickly reached up and took her bow from the quiver and a handful of arrows. She slapped the horse's rump. "Go!"

The warhorse jumped with surprise and shied away. Kagome swiftly lifted the bow and notched an arrow, taking a bead on the rightmost rider. She cleared her mind of everything but her target, even the throbbing pain of the knife scraping along her shoulder blade. Narrowing her eyes, she loosed the arrow.

It hit its mark, sinking lethally into his heart.

She watched him fall lifelessly from the saddle and ignored the scolding voice that told her she'd just killed a man. It was her’s or his, and it most definitely wasn't going to be her life. Swinging to her left, she fitted another arrow and watched it imbed itself into that bandit's chest as well.

A flash of movement in her peripheral had her whirling. She set and shot another arrow before even really seeing her target.

Kagome nearly collapsed when she recognized him. The arrow flew true, but also swirled with a blazing lavender flame. Her heart just about stopped. Inuyasha skidded to a halt when he realized she'd shot at him and watched the arrow with disbelief. Kagome staggered forward, hand outstretched. "No! Come back to me!" The purifying energy balked; it could feel Inuyasha's yōkai blood. Kagome clamped her eyes shut. She didn't want to see if she failed. "I said come back!"

Inuyasha grunted when the arrow sank into his shoulder, but didn't really feel any pain. He stared at the wooden shaft, waiting for the energy to blaze to life, but it didn't. It was just a plain arrow.  _Confused,_ his confused amber eyes traveled the length of the arrow to look at the woman hobbling toward him. He gazed into her watery brown eyes and it was like everything else ceased to exist. It was only the two of them standing in the clearing.

Kagome hobbled forward, the bow slipping from her bloody grip, smiling faintly that she was successful. She gazed on his angular face, his fangs peeking out from his open mouth, and felt tears welling. They blurred his eyes, transforming them in golden orbs without any seemingly definite outline. "Inuyasha...please..."

The hanyō bolted forward, uncaring of the arrow protruding from his shoulder. "Kagome, you came back."

Kagome started to laugh, but pain screamed through her body, leaving her gasping painfully. "Of...course."

Inuyasha tried to take in her scent, but his senses were accosted by the thick coppery smell of blood. He finally registered that she was severely wounded. "You're bleeding everywhere, Kagome. Where's the wound?" He touched her tentatively and he knew immediately that this wasn't a dream – she was actually standing in front of him.

But she was slowly bleeding out and wouldn't be warm and alive much longer.

She shook her head, bangs swinging, and coughed. "No, it doesn't matter." She lunged forward with her good arm and fisted her hand in his haori. "Please...forgive me, Inuyasha."

"What are you talking about? Kagome, there's nothing that you need- Kagome?" Inuyasha clutched her arms as she shuddered. "Kagome, what's wrong?" Her felt her knees buckle and tightened his grasp, but the blood was too thick and she slid right out of his hands. The hanyō's heart leapt into his throat as she crumpled to the ground, deathly pale and unmoving. "Kagome!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Shunsoku" translates to "swift horse"


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: wound gore and blood.

_“There are two kinds of fears: rational and irrational – or in simpler terms, fears that make sense and fears that don’t.” – Lemony Snicket_

* * *

 

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face and she wiped it absently. "Just a few more, Kirara, and then I'll be finished."

The twin-tailed cat cooed and continued to flush out the fat, white grubs that had taken up residence in her herb garden.

"You're such a great help, Kirara. I hate getting rid of those gross little things myself." She wrapped her long fingers around a weed and pulled. Root and all popped loose with a puff of dirt. Weeding her tiny herb garden had become a weekly task since all these parasites decided to move in. Sango sat back on her heels and smiled. "That was the last one." She ran her dirty fingers along Kirara's back. "You finished?"

The neko-yōkai turned to face her with a squirmy grub crunching in her jaws.

Sango laughed. "I guess you are." She held out her hand and the cat trotted up her arm to perch on her shoulder like a parrot. "Let's go check on Miroku and fix up some food for him."

Dusk had settled over the small meadow where Miroku had decided to build their comfortably sized home. It was larger than most of the villagers’ homes in Kaede's village, but nowhere near being spectacularly large. It had two private quarters, a sitting room, and a work room that also served as a kitchen. She'd told him it was much too elaborate, but the monk couldn't be swayed; it was 'his gift to her for putting up with him', if she wanted to use his phrasing.

The small shed she was striding towards now, however, had been Inuyasha's wedding gift to them. She hadn't tried to dissuade him because once he'd made up his mind to do it, only finishing it would stop him. She had to admit that the shed was very handy.

She slipped inside the shed and filled a small sack with rice from their stores. She chose a small side of salted venison and an assortment of vegetables, piling it all into the tightly woven basket she kept for just that purpose. "I think a rich stew will do for tonight." She observed the dwindling meat stores and glanced sideways at Kirara. "It looks like you'll have to go out hunting soon."

Kirara twitched her tail and cooed.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Sango stepped back outside and found that the sun had fallen below the treetops, blanketing the house with a soft semi-darkness. She almost dropped her basket when she saw Miroku leaning heavily against one of the roof supports. He was softly hunched, one arm around the post and the other clutching his Shakujō.

"Miroku!" She dashed across the yard, Kirara leaping from her perch, and set the basket on the step. She wrapped her arms supportively around his waist. "You shouldn't be up right now. You're much too weak."

He smiled halfheartedly. "And I'll only get weaker if I stay in bed." Miroku raised a lecherous brow. "Unless, of course, you'd like to join me in that bed?"

Sango gave him a deadpan stare. "Miroku..."

He laughed. "I had to try." He shifted his weight and straightened up. "It's alright, I can stand."

She eyed the tension in his face and the slight sheen of sweat on his brow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll be fine in a moment."

Sango gazed worriedly into his dark gray eyes and decided to let it go. She could very well shout and demand he go lay down, but what would that accomplish – other that upsetting them both? Stubbornness was a fault they shared in equal measure. Already she could see his tension easing, and he let go of the support with his injured hand. The edges of his bandages were stained pink. "How's your hand?"

He held it up and looked at his palm. "It still hurts, but that unbearable throbbing has ceased."

She grasped it gently and unwound the outermost dressing. The one against his palm was secured with his prayer beads and soaked only with what looked to be residual blood. "The bleeding has stopped, so the Kazaana must be healing." She closed his fingers and lifted his hand to her mouth to kiss his knuckles.

Miroku watched her thoughtfully. "You never told me Mushin taught you how to repair my Kazaana."

She snorted. "That old drunkard wouldn't have taught me anything if I hadn't demanded that he do so. I think I had to make almost three pots of tea before he was sober enough to speak without slurring his words."

"When was this?"

Sango smiled. "When that servant came and hired you to exorcise the demon haunting his lord's village."

He leaned back and looked at her skeptically. "You managed to do all that in a day?"

"I can be very persuasive when I'm determined."

 _That_  was something he knew too well. "Why would you go through all that trouble?"

Sango stepped closer and pressed herself against his body, resting her head to his chest and listening to the steady thump of his heart. "I was worried."

His eyes softened and his injured arm came around to hold her tightly. "It was only a simple exorcism. Surely I could handle that."

She clamped her eyes shut. "It doesn't matter." She turned to gaze up at him. "My heart almost stopped when you collapsed. I heard you cry out and it was like I was paralyzed by the fear of losing you to that heinous curse." She shook her head when she realized she was about to cry. She took a calming breath and forced herself to relax. "You're not the only one that wants Naraku dead because he's cursed you."

His eyes slid shut as they leaned on one another, his bandaged hand sliding up to run his fingers along the smooth skin on the back of her neck. "Have I told you that I love you today?"

She grinned as she squeezed him tighter. "Yes, but I'm feeling greedy all of the sudden." Her violet eyes twinkled mischievously. "Tell me again, monk."

Miroku smirked at the little game they always played, always tried to be that last one to say 'I love you' before the day ended. It looked like he won today. "I love you, Sango."

"I know." She tilted up her head.

He bent down to kiss her and was a hair's breath away from her softly parted lips when he saw a flash of silver in the twilight. Sango closed the distance and he sank into her mouth, momentarily distracted. Clearing his head, he reluctantly pulled away from her sweetness and stared straight over her head.

Sango frowned. "What is it?"

He stepped back and tightened his grip on his Shakujō. "Someone's coming."

The yōkai-taijiya slipped out of his grasp. "My Hiraikotsu is inside." She glanced at Kirara, but the neko-yōkai was just reclining on the step; she was always on guard. "Miroku, I don't think it's anyone bad. Kirara would've transformed."

He nodded. "The aura isn't evil. It's agitated." He gazed through the darkness at the silver glint and almost slapped himself when he saw the red clothing. His laugh had Sango jumping. "It's only Inuyasha."

Her dark violet eyes swung back to the approaching hanyō. It was logical that Inuyasha would come to them now that Naraku had reawakened, but not the rush. "Something's wrong."

As his friend drew closer, Miroku could see him clearer through the darkness. He was carrying something. It looked only to be a bundle of clothing until he realized that bundle had limbs. "I agree, Sango. He's carrying someone."

Sango nodded more to herself than to her husband as she watched. The clothing was bloodstained, but she could tell they were priestess's clothing. It couldn’t be Kikyō because the reanimated priestess could not bleed like a mortal. She started down the steps and jogged towards him. "Inuyasha!"

The hanyō didn't answer and a shadow of dread loomed over her. She hitched to a stop, a hand resting against her chest. It was the hakama that drew her eye – the rich green hakama. The shadow grew larger and Sango felt her heart skip a beat at what she saw. She tore her gaze to meet the hanyō’s and the sheer desperation in his eyes confirmed her fears. She whirled back to her husband, hanging on the porch. "Miroku! It's Kagome!'

Miroku watched Sango dash to meet Inuyasha, confused at the turn of events. He shook his head and snapped out of his stupor, stepping off the porch to meet them. It didn't matter what the hell she was wearing, she was obviously gravely injured. He managed to keep his legs under control and was at Sango's side when Inuyasha staggered to his knees before them. Miroku knelt beside him. "Which one of you is bleeding?"

The hanyō sat with his head bowed, but didn't respond.

Sango didn't wait and turned the woman's head, brushing aside her disheveled bangs. She'd been right; it was Kagome. It only took her a glance to know it was Kagome's blood. The hilt of the knife was still protruding from her back like some kind of morbid fifth limb. "She's been stabbed." She grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulder. "Take her into the spare bedroom now." She whirled on the monk. "Get me some hot water and a lot of bandages."

Her tone was strong and take-charge, both of them obediently following her orders. Inuyasha carried the ghostly pale Kagome into the house, setting her down tenderly on a futon and then just standing in the way. Sango propped up her head, careful not to pull on her shining braid, and stood to gently usher him out of the room. "You don't need to be in here."

The words somehow broke into his semi-catatonic mind. "What the fuck do you mean?!"

Miroku arrived with the water and bandages in time to hear the raging outburst. He set them down beside Kagome and turned to face the hanyō. "Don't speak to her like that."

Inuyasha growled. "Where the hell does she get off telling me to fucking leave?! I'm not abandoning Kagome!"

"Sango is trying to help, but if you're in there she won't be able to do anything. It would be better if you weren't present."

"What the fuck is she planning to do? Chop off her goddamn arm?"

Sango knew she was the only one that saw Miroku sway, knowing he was probably in pain. She gritted her teeth and soaked her hands in the scalding hot water, wanting nothing more than to use her Hiraikotsu on Inuyasha’s dog-eared head. She turned towards Kagome and froze when she saw her sitting up. "Kagome?"

The angry shouts silenced instantly as all eyes turned to the shaking woman with the blazing brown eyes. Kagome glared at only one of them in particular, grinding a single word from her clenched jaw. "Sit."

Kagome collapsed back down just as Inuyasha face planted into the heavy wooden floorboards. The hanyō angrily pulled himself together and stalked out of the house. Miroku met Sango's eyes solemnly before leaving her to the ominous task of tending Kagome's wounds.

* * *

 

He hadn't been 'sat' in a long time – he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to smash face first into the ground. There had been a few times when Kagome's memory was stuck in his head and would've given anything just to hear 'sit' one more time. Inuyasha touched his tender nose and winced, questioning what the hell he could’ve been thinking. He wouldn't wish beads of subjugation on his worst enemy- except maybe Sesshōmaru. 

Seeing his hoity-toity brother face-plant would a sweet, sweet pleasure.

He almost laughed, but realized what he was doing and stopped. There wasn't any reason for him to be laughing. Kagome was lying in the house with a knife in her back. It made him view the term 'backstabbing' in a whole new light. The mad dash to get here had been just as unpleasant. Kagome's lithe body had just hung limply like an overcooked ramen noodle. His stomach turned at the thought.

"Inuyasha?"

He cut narrowed gold eyes at Miroku. "What?"

"Do you want me to take that out?" He pointed at his shoulder.

Inuyasha glanced down and saw Kagome's arrow still sticking out of his shoulder. In his panic, he'd totally forgotten about it. "Feh."

Miroku accepted it as a yes. Setting down beside hanyō, he took hold of the shaft and hesitated before snapping off the tail. "Strange, this arrow has dormant spiritual energy in it."

Inuyasha slipped off his haori and kosode, staring in the opposite direction of the monk. "That's because it's Kagome's arrow."

Miroku blinked with surprise. "She shot you?"

He snorted. "No, I just made that up for fun."

"This is hardly a laughing matter." He grasped the shaft close to the skin and began moving it side to side. The arrowhead loosened and easily slid free. "She could have killed you."

"I know." Inuyasha ignored the tiny squalls of pain in his shoulder and pulled his clothes back on. He stared at the bedroom door where Kagome lay beyond and growled with frustration. "It wasn't her fault though, it was mine."

"How so?" Miroku calmly leaned against the wall, scratching at his healing Kazaana beneath the bandages.

"She was ambushed by bandits."

"Bandits?"

"Yeah." He stared down at the floor. "She was already fighting them off when I got there. She was bleeding by then too." He rumbled low in his throat and clenched his fists so tightly that his claws cut into the heels of his palms to draw blood. "And I just stood there like a stupefied fool."

"She was injured before you arrived. I'm sure that it was out of your control." Miroku watched him closely.

"That may be true, but I didn't stop the other two from attacking her. I just watched as she shot them both right off their mangy horses." He looked up haunted. "She killed them."

This made the monk hesitate. He held his chin in thought a moment. "She was battling to survive, Inuyasha."

He threw his arms out in exasperation. "I understand that part, but this  _Kagome_  we're talking about. She's too pure to be tainted like that, too full of life and the desire to preserve it." He sighed wearily. "Kagome always sees the good in even the worst people. Killing even those two scumbags is going to haunt her." He jumped to his feet and started to pace, bare feet padding lightly on the high-polished wood. "I should've moved and taken them out myself. There's already enough blood on my hands. What's a little more gonna hurt?"

Miroku didn't answer him, which was better in the long run. There was an ongoing debate between them on whether human lives were as easily disposable as yōkai when their hearts were evil. He said yay and Miroku said nay. Only the most black-hearted of humans would attack a woman, let alone someone with as high a standing as a priestess. Not one of them had had any reservations about their actions and they had drawn blood.

Kagome’s blood _–_  that was a death sentence in his book. His inu-yōkai snarled in agreement.

"Inuyasha," Miroku's lazy voice floated in to penetrate his thoughts. "Your raging aura is giving me a headache."

"You a headache?" He glared at the snoozing monk.

"Yes." Miroku laid his Shakujō down beside him. "And it's aggravating my Kazaana."

Inuyasha frowned. "Your- oh." He halted mid-stride and looked down on him. Now that he mentioned it, Miroku’s right arm was swathed with bandages. "It widened abruptly, didn't it? Because of Naraku?"

He nodded and yawned. "The curse has been draining me the past two days. It's painful when I'm tired."

The hanyō felt like a jackass and sank down onto his haunches. "I'm sorry, Miroku."

His friend smiled. "Apology accepted."

The bedroom door slid open with a clack and Sango stepped out, sliding it shut behind her. "Well, I did everything I could. The bleeding was so bad I had to burn the wound to stop it. I patched it up as best I could. It's up to Kagome now and whether she'll take to infection." She met Inuyasha's eyes solemnly. "She's calling your name in her sleep."

* * *

 

Sango watched Inuyasha bolt into the room, uncaring that they could see him through the open door. He stood watching Kagome with his back to them and she was glad she couldn't see his face. She didn't know if she could handle seeing him so pained and distraught.

And helpless.

That was something she knew they all felt. It's what anyone felt when a loved one's fate was out of their hands.

Like Kohaku, her mind insisted. She hugged herself and turned watery eyes to the only other person in the room. Miroku, as well.

Miroku could feel her gaze, but instead of going to her, strode to the open doorway and slid it shut. He knew Inuyasha needed to be alone and he wanted privacy for his own reasons. He turned around and found himself alone. The soft light from the torch in their bedroom beckoned him. Stepping inside, he set his Shakujō against the wall beside her Hiraikotsu and shut the door. His wife was sitting on their bed with her knees held against her chest and her face tucked behind her knees. "Are you alright?"

Sango shook her head from her huddled position on the bed. "I don't know." She shivered. "I can't get the smell of burnt flesh out of my head." She turned her head so that her left ear was resting against her kneecaps. "I've never seen Kagome like that before. I always thought that she was the untouchable one, that nothing could hurt her like the rest of us." Her tone was painfully pensive. "There's no way I could stop it from scarring. It was just so deep – nearly to the bone. I can't imagine how painful that would be. Not even my wounds were that deep." She tightened her arms. "Who would attack Kagome like that?"

He slipped off the heavy outer robe he was wearing and sat down facing her in his under kimono. "Inuyasha told me that bandits ambushed her while she was traveling here." He crossed his arms. "Apparently she had to kill a few of them and accidentally shot Inuyasha in the process."

Her finely arched brows furrowed with confusion. "Why isn't he dead? Her spirit energy would have purified his yōkai blood, killing him."

"I believe she was somehow able to suppress it before the arrow hit his body. When I removed it, I could feel the energy concealed dormant inside it."

She lifted her head. "Has she really grown that powerful?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps."

"This all that cursed Naraku's doing. If he had died any of the numerous times we attacked him, then none of this would've happened." She spat the words out bitterly. "Kagome wouldn't be hurt and Inuyasha wouldn't still be seeking revenge." She shuddered and hid her face once more, whispering into her kimono. "Kohaku would be free and you and I could have a normal life without all the constant worry." Her whole body was trembling.

Miroku slipped a hand under the hem of her kimono to gently caress her calf, fingers dancing on her ankle. "What's wrong, Sango? You aren't usually this upset." Normally his wife would take things in stride, only opening up when angry. She hardly ever allowed herself to appear weak, even when they were alone together. She was always so guarded that these open floodgates made him uneasy.

She unlocked the arms holding her knees to her chest. "I'm so afraid." She slid towards him, tears filling her sparkling violet eyes. "I'm afraid of everything and it makes me feel unbearably cold inside."

Miroku sighed when her nimble hands slipped inside his under kimono and splayed against the flat planes of his belly. The uneasiness that churned his stomach calmed as she reached out to him. She wasn't going to bury her feelings inside and leave him feeling utterly helpless. He brushed her bangs aside and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He'd learned over time that she didn't like anything unexpected when she was vulnerable and always made sure to ask. "What do you want me to do?"

Sango tightened her hold on him. "Hold me." She pressed her face into the crook of his neck. "Hold me against you and chase away the cold." She closed her eyes and just breathed in the smell of him. "You're so warm." Already, she felt safer, more secure.

Miroku reached around her to pull the knot of her obi loose, murmuring against her hair. "Anything you want."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: anxiety/anxiety attacks

_“I close my eyes, thinking that there is nothing like an embrace after an absence, nothing like fitting my face into the curve of his shoulder and filling my lungs with the scent of him.” – Jodi Picoult, Keeping Faith_

* * *

 

  _She knew what she was seeing, but couldn’t really believe it. Her bow fit comfortably in the figure’s hands as she lifted it to sight her target. Her narrowed mahogany eyes focused on the incoming hanyō as she leveled her weapon. A devilishly happy grin spread across her face._

_"No." Kagome stared at herself in disbelief. "This isn't right. It didn't happen like this."_

_Her deranged counterpart moved her eyes alone to wink at her. "You can't stop the inevitable."_

_Kagome didn't understand. She strode over to face herself and watched as the woman notched a sleek arrow to the bow. "What are you talking about?"_

_Her twisted twin chuckled at her confusion. "Don't you get it?" She tilted her chin in the hanyō's direction. "Look at him. What do you see?"_

_Kagome gazed at the hanyō rushing towards them, his motions sluggish, as if time was slowed around him. His shining mass of silver hair flowed behind him like a banner and the sleeves of his haori flapped in a nonexistent breeze. She smiled involuntarily at the sight. "I see Inuyasha."_

_"Yes, Inuyasha the hanyō." Other-Kagome pulled back the bowstring and smiled._

_Kagome lunged forward and grabbed her arm. "No! You'll kill him!"_

_Her twin shouldered her away. "Exactly!" She whirled back to adjust the arrow thrown askew by the attack. "If you continue along this path, eventually you will kill him."_

_"I would never kill Inuyasha!" Kagome crawled to her feet, face livid with rage at this offending mimicry’s audacity._

_"Priestesses and yōkai can never be joined as you envision in that feeble mind of yours." Her darker self grimaced as she pulled the bow tight._

_Kagome felt her lips lift in the facsimile of a snarl. "How can you say that and be me?! I've never,_  ever  _thought that, so how can_  you _, portraying yourself as_  me _, think that?! I've never proclaimed to be a priestess anyway! Everyone just assumes that because I have Kikyō's powers!"_

_Her twin merely sighed. "Then I have no choice but to show you what will happen to your precious hanyō if you do not heed my warning."_

_"Who the hell_  are  _you?" Kagome was just too shocked to move._

_She loosed the arrow and grinned as the jewel shard around her neck flared powerfully. "You'll know soon enough."_

_"No!" Kagome snapped free of her trance and bolted across the meadow, blood rushing through her ears as she watched the flashing arrow streak towards him. "Inuyasha! Look out!"_

_Her words fell on deaf ears and he ran straight into the attack. The intensity in his face faded and was replaced by an utterly painful look of heartbreak. Kagome watched with horror as the arrow pierced his heart and sent him sprawling to his knees. The waterfall of silver hair melted away as his body was enveloped by the blinding light of her purifying energy. The adorable dog-ears that tugged at her heartstrings disappeared, as well as the golden glow of his eyes._

_Kagome collapsed in front of him, staring into the eyes of his mortal form. She reached out to him tentatively. "Inuyasha..."_

_His warm brown eyes seemed to finally see her. "Why, Kagome?" It was all he could manage as he collapsed before her...dead._

_Her vision swam as she screamed to the beat of her doppelganger's laughter._

Kagome's eyes snapped open with a start and she instantly stilled. Sweat coated her entire body like a thin film and she shivered. Blinking to clear her vision, the breath caught in her throat.

Inuyasha's sleeping face was maybe a foot away from her own.

She could feel the sticky residue that the tears had left on her face – that stiff, crinkling sensation that meant she'd been crying in her sleep. She hadn't done that in a long time. Kagome slipped her left hand up and rubbed the tear tracks away, and took the chance to really look at Inuyasha. He was real and he was breathing and her mind was just playing horrid tricks on her.

His face was serene with sleep, softening his angular features into an almost boyish quality. It was times like these that reminded her of the pup he had undoubtedly once been, often finding herself enthralled by his youthful ease in sleep in the past. It was likely because his mouth was usually slack and he molded along whatever surface he’d fallen asleep against. She could see the strengthened line of his jaw and the overall ruggedness that came with age. Even the puppy-dog ears she adored had gotten taller and sharper in their shape, proof of their time spent apart. And despite having a single fang visible at his mouth, giving sufficient proof of his inu-yōkai ferocity, Kagome couldn't help but want to kiss him.

She honestly hadn't known what to expect given the fact he was a hanyō. She couldn't take his fifty year slumber into account of his aging because, technically, he'd been dead. She frowned at the familiar distaste at that thought, hedging away from entertaining the concept of him lifeless. Full-blooded yōkai, like his brother Sesshōmaru, didn't age at all; they were immortal. Inuyasha was part yōkai, so in her assumption, partially immortal. Or maybe the influence of yōki was strong enough to override the aging process completely? She did know that he'd aged somewhat; she could see it in his face.

Kagome swallowed and grimaced at how dry her throat was. Shit, she was thirsty. She glanced at Inuyasha, oddly calmed by how peaceful he looked. She didn't want to bother him just to get her a drink. She could get up and get it herself. Using her left hand, she tossed back the blanket and decided to sit up all in one shot in the hope it would minimize any pain. Sucking in a deep breath, she threw her upper torso forward.

She managed to keep her shout down to a mild-mannered yelp. If felt like someone was jabbing a hot poker through her body. She hunched forward with a groan. "H...holy shit."

His inu-yōkai caught the muted sound and snapped to attention, tossing him out from the folds of deep sleep. "What?"

Shaking his head as he sat up, his eyes fell on the girl beside him, though he quickly amended that thought as he absorbed the sight of her. There was no doubt in his mind that Kagome was no longer a girl and he'd have to be a fool not to see it as her supine shoulders went taunt with tension. Although, at the moment, all he could see was the bloodstained bandages beneath the thin, borrowed yukata she wore – it reminded him of the many “warning” labels slapped on everything in her future era

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he noticed the rigidity of her hands gripping her blanket and it gave him pause. There was an oddness leaching from her stiff frame, as if he'd just caught her red-handed doing something forbidden. It was obvious that she had tried getting up, but was thwarted by pain. Was she trying to leave? Inuyasha suddenly felt nauseous. "Kagome?"

She physically flinched under the heavy questioning tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Her voice was a soft, raspy whisper. "I just wanted a drink of water."

If he had a jewel shard for every time he felt this bumbling around her – some things just didn’t change, it seemed – then he'd have enough pieces to complete the _Shikon no Tama_ a hundred times over. He swallowed. "I would've gotten it for you."

"I didn't want to disturb you."

It was driving him mad that he couldn't see her face. Sango had undone the long braid she’d worn the night before and the wavy locks hung around her face like a hood – she also wasn't turning to face him, and that bothered him. "I'll be right back."

Kagome caught a glimpse of his hakama and Tessaiga’s sheath out of her peripheral vision. She didn't let out her breath until he'd exited the room. When he'd spoken her name, it had reminded her of when her father had reprimanded her back before he’d died, part scolding and part angry. She didn't have to guess what he had to be angry about, considering she’d shot him and ‘sat’ him within a relatively short span of reuniting with him. She shook her head sadly; she'd come back to remedy her mistakes, but all she seemed capable of was piling more onto the mountain she already had.

Inuyasha took a moment to watch from the doorway before he made his presence known. Her bangs couldn't quite hide her face and he could see the elegant outline of her profile in the early morning light. Yeah, Kagome was definitely no longer a girl. She had seemed so young to him during the year they'd traveled together, but her face had lost any remnants of her childhood roundness and was now sleekly refined. She’d been a teenage then, nearly sixteen and if he did the math, it made sense that she’d changed physically, as humans did; Kagome was close to twenty-one years old.

She must have felt his eyes because she flicked her bangs out of her face and looked up at him. Their eyes met, chocolate to gold, and it felt just as intense as when he'd seen her in that bloodstained meadow, as if they were the only two people on the planet. Her wide brown eyes were swirling with what looked like a hundred different emotions, but none of them fear. He looked down at the thought. Had he really thought she was afraid of him? He glanced at her innocently curious face and almost nodded to himself in confirmation.

And, really, that was what he had been afraid of in some deep recess in his heart.

Kagome watched him somewhat nervously, but her mouth practically screamed when she saw the cup of water in his hand. "Thank you for the water."

"Huh?" He blinked at her and then down at the cup. "Oh, yeah." He stepped into the room and held it out to her. "Here."

She greedily accepted it and savored the feel of it as it ran down her parched throat. She drained the cup and set it down. "That feels so much better."

"Do you want more?"

"No, I'm alright."

Inuyasha stepped to her left, moving to crouch between her and the wall. "You should rest some more. You lost a hell of a lot of blood."

She shrugged and immediately regretted it. "Dammit."

He would've smirked if her body hadn't started trembling all over. "How bad is it?"

"Oh," she sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and straightened up a bit. "It's manageable. I don't think you'd believe me if I said I was fine."

"Nope." He reached out to steady her.

Kagome breathed through the pain and glanced at his arm, right were his chest met his shoulder. There was a small rip with a faint blood stain around it. She could barely make out the ruddy hue of it from the red of his haori.

_"If you continue along this path, eventually you will kill him."_

Kagome shoved the image of her twisted sister away. She gulped a breath and tentatively reached out to slide her fingers across the torn fabric, feeling the soft bandage beneath it. "Does it hurt?"

Inuyasha watched her closely, concerned with how ashy her pale complexion had gotten. The bleak glisten in her eyes had him shaking his head. "No, it's just a scratch."

Her face went disturbingly vacant. "A scratch that could've killed you." Her brows furrowed deeply as she fixated on the torn cloth. “I wasn’t sure if I could stop it. I had no idea my power had grown that strong and it wouldn't listen to me." White teeth flashed as she pulled her lower lip between them and bit down, almost gnawing on it with sudden anxious energy. "I could’ve sworn that I'd saved you from my mistake, but I saw you die in my dream." Her chest was heaving by now, breath coming short and ragged as her hand dragged lower to press over his heart. "I shot you right here and watched you die."

Inuyasha knew panic when he saw it, but it bewildered him to see it gripping Kagome of all people. She was tangled up in her head, no doubt finally processing the previous night’s events and her actions. Her usually warm, bright eyes were dulled and vacant, lost to images he couldn’t see and if he didn't do something to calm her, she’d pass out. Cradling her delicate face between his hands, he turned her head up and she woodenly resisted the movement. "Kagome, look at me." He kept his voice to a gentle murmur, pressing his fingers into the locked muscles of her neck. "'Easy, Kagome. I’m alright. Look at me and breathe."

Ever so slowly, her reddened eyes traveled upwards to rest on his face and blinked dazedly. "Inu...Inuyasha?"

He almost sagged to the floor with relief. "Yeah, that’s right. I’m just fine, Kagome. It’s okay." He used his claws to brush her bangs out of her face, pleased that her breathing seemed to be slowing. "I am very much alive and breathing. I know you can feel my heartbeat under your hand, Kagome." She seemed to focus and nodded jerkily. "You didn't kill me, or even hurt me." He smiled wryly. "Actually, you probably saved me."

She suddenly took a deep breath and the tension in her frame seemed to finally shatter, leaving her shuddering even as her hand tightened against his chest. "Only from myself."

His own nerves settled further as her eyes went watery, making sure to hold his confident smirk and supportive hold on her neck as his other hand dropped to cover hers. "That may be true, but you've saved me from myself countless times."

Whatever hanyō-magic he'd worked on her, the cold clutches of fear eased their hold on her and Kagome felt herself warming with embarrassment – the first time she saw him in years and she nearly had a breakdown. Blinking against the burn in her eyes, she took another deep breath and did her best to ignore how exposed she felt. "I couldn't live with myself if you died by my hand." She sniffed. "Besides, I made a promise to myself that I'd never lift a weapon to you again, possessed or otherwise." Calm despite the trembling in her limbs, Kagome pulled away from the scorch of his touch. "Can you forgive me?"

"Keh." He scowled, folding his arms over chest in a familiar, self-conscious gesture. "There isn't anything to forgive."

"Inuyasha, please."

His strong jaw clenched as he blew out his nose harshly. "Yes, alright? I forgive you."

Relieved, Kagome managed a bleary smile. "Thank you." Clearing her thick throat, she pointed at the rip in his haori. "I want to fix that, too"

The hanyō closed his eyes and sighed. "Sure. Whatever you want."

They were silent for a moment, merely observing each other, and he recognized how Kagome still felt awkward being vulnerable, though now she boldly looked him in the eye instead of turning away like she’d done in the past. It reminded him of the fiercely elegant creature he'd encountered the night before in that bloodied clearing. Kagome had grown capable and confident in her absence, and he wasn’t sure where exactly that left him now; he had sense that this was only a temporary furlough past the reinforced walls she’d been building back before she’d left.

Inuyasha swallowed the knot in his throat and figured he should take advantage of the opportunity. He held out an arm. "Come here."

Kagome's heart flip-flopped at the hopeful glint in his eyes, laughing nervously as he beckoned. "Oh, no. I must smell absolutely horrible with the sweat and the blood and-"

"Kagome."

She felt like flinching again and cursed the flutters in her belly. "Yes?"

"You know you want to." He sounded amused, but she refused to look at him to confirm it.

She pursed her lips stubbornly, annoyed that he presumed so accurately. “Fine.” She bit it out between her teeth and slid as close as she could, stopping when her knees brushed against his. "Good enough?"

He tipped his head to the side in the eerily similar manner of Inusaiai. She almost opened her mouth to comment about it when she realized he would have no idea who she was talking about, much less believe it. His abrupt movement snagged her attention as he stood up and bent towards her.

"No."

Kagome's brows knitted with confusion. "What are you doing? Inuyasha!" She let out a shocked yelp when his lean arms slipped around her shoulders and under her knees.

He shrugged, still carrying her, and sat back down against the wall. "If you’re going to be difficult, then I guess it’s up to me." He was positive this was going to bite him in the ass somehow, but he couldn’t be bothered to care all that much – if he had a tail, it’d probably be wagging up a storm right about now.

Kagome sat so stiffly in his embrace that her back was beginning to ache. He'd never, ever gotten this close to her by choice and even when she tried, he used to act like scalded cat. She was sure he wasn’t doing this just to knock her off-kilter – he sounded as surprised as she did, but it still stained her cheeks red. Her heart was setting a sprinter's pace in her chest, wholly unprepared for this kind of proximity. "Inuyasha, please put me down. I'm-” Kagome cursed the flustered tremor in her voice. “I’m probably going to get blood all over you."

Inuyasha stared at the wall over her head. It was true that the cloying metallic scent of blood hung about her even now, though he had difficultly believing anyone without his nose could detect it. If he allowed himself a modicum of honesty, he was sure this desire to be close to her was partly due to the fact it riled the protective instincts of his inu-yōkai – and with truth being the deciding factor here, her natural scent, the one that smelled of cool water and mountain air, pacified the rampant restlessness that plagued the duality of his nature

He wasn’t about to overstep, however. “Do you want me put you back on the futon?”

She resisted for another moment, but that bizarre juxtaposition of feeling that always accompanied him – the enthusing blend of arousing thrill and assuaging security – had her pushing her half-hearted protests aside and accepting the warmth he was offering. “No, not really.”

Inch by inch, the tension left her body and she allowed herself the indulgence of sagging against his strong chest. She shifted so her wounded side was untouched and pressed her head on his good shoulder. Kagome sighed exhaustedly when his head dropped to lean against her, his cheek resting on the crown of her head, the pull of sleep dragging at her brain. "Inuyasha?"

"Hm?" He brought his arms up to wrap lazily about her back.

Kagome yawned and nestled her head tighter against his shoulder. "I missed you."

Inuyasha felt his own eyes droop and tightened his hold. "Me too."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: blood and wound gore

_“There was a long hard time when I kept far away from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.” – Charles Dickens, Great Expectations_

* * *

 

It lingered here more than it had in the forest, a foulness that tainted all it touched. His gaze scanned along the tops of the cliffs, scrutinizing every nuance in the craggy rocks. The impressive canyon held more deadly perils that the woodlands, but nothing was going to stop him from following the scent into the alleyway of rock.

"Are we really going to travel through that canyon, Milord?" Jaken clutched nervously at his staff.

Sesshōmaru ignored his cowardly servant and started along the graveled canyon floor. Naraku's scent hung on every precipice of rock along the cliff walls and he wasn't about to abandon its trail now that it had intensified. The wind screamed along the top of the ravine like a banshee's call, ruffling the shimmering fur of his stole. It reflected the atmosphere inspired by Naraku’s timorous corruption, and the necessity of caution in the hunt; the potential for traps and puppets carrying out his deeds in the hanyō’s place were high, and it would not shock him in the slightest if Naraku tried to bottleneck him into a dead-end.

The lack of respect was galling.

Jaken skittered along behind him. "Milord, I do not like the feel of the air here. It speaks of a menacing presence." He glanced around. "I don't think it is safe here."

His pleading received no response as the dai-yōkai continued to stride through the formidable corridor of rock. His keen sight absorbed everything it saw without conscious thought on his part. It was an ingrained lesson to observe everything and nothing, noting only objects of importance. The landscape was bland, painted in muted shades of gray and taupe, and it was this harsh, stagnating atmosphere that made him pause at the sight of a single lavender flower sprouting up from all the gravel littering the ground – a single bright point on a canvas of the unvaried.

Sesshōmaru stared at the flower, but his mind's eye saw something much more vibrant and vivacious. He saw something that was too exemplary to be compared to a mere plant with colored petals.

He saw Rin.

Unwilling to abandon his objective, he resumed his graceful, ground-covering walk. It was the same walk she'd had to ride on A-Un in order to keep up with. It had taken him more time than he ever thought he'd spend on a human to ignore her absence from his company. Even when she'd been asleep, her unusual bearing had made Jaken's ceaseless chatter seem maddeningly mundane. She had been drawn to him from the start, for reasons he had yet to intuit, and he had been equally captivated in return after their meeting in the forest – the same snarling threats that had sent a great many yōkai to their retreat had merely amused her into fits of laughter.

Rin was a fearless enigma that he couldn't possibly begin to comprehend.

The empty sleeve of his left arm brushed against the hilt of the Tensaiga and he shut his eyes from the monotonous view. Rin had been the first being he'd ever wielded his father's sword for without the blade’s interference. He'd once thought it was to repay her for her aid, but now, as he traveled without her, he knew differently.

He'd wanted to restore that magical touch of her to the world.

Sesshōmaru halted silently and reached across his lean body to grasp the hilt of Tensaiga. The sword slid smoothly and noiselessly from its sheath and glinted in the predawn light.

"Milord, why have you drawn the Tensaiga? Is something the matter?" Jaken toddled around his master to gaze into his face. "Lord Sesshōmaru?"

The tall inu-yōkai regarded the blade stringently. His father had commissioned for two swords to be forged from his fang: Tessaiga and Tensaiga – a blade for slaying and a blade for healing. It was vastly perplexing to still not be able to discern his father's reasoning for bestowing him with such a mystifying heirloom. He may have underestimated the power of the Tensaiga, but he was no closer to understanding now than he was back then, as to why he was given it. Angling it back into its sheath, he brushed past Jaken's muttering form.

The wide, boulder laden path began to narrow as he continued to track the wavering scent of Naraku, pinching enough that natural bridges of stone began crossing overhead. Every so often another avenue would appear crookedly along the craggy walls, but the smell didn't stray from the main hallway of rock. It was quite a while before invisible pockets of the yōkai's scent began clinging to the outcrops with a deliberateness that Sesshōmaru knew without a doubt led to presumable trap.

He strode past a particularly dark crevice in the rock face off to his left and stopped abruptly. Naraku's stench was almost overpowering now. Sesshōmaru turned his head to eye the crack and knew, absolutely, that what he'd been hunting had finally been found.

"It is ridiculous that you have to resort to such measures to find this yōkai, Milord." Jaken strolled right past his unmoving master with his eyes shut. "His lack of honor is astounding."

"Is that so?"

The voice crawled out of the crevice and washed over them like an icy caress, eliciting a yelp from the imp. "What was that?!"

Sesshōmaru closed his eyes, unperturbed. "Show yourself."

The chill froze the morning condensation on the rocks into a crystalline haze with the laugh. "As you wish, Lord Sesshōmaru."

Jaken glanced expectantly at his master. "Do you know this thing, Milord?"

The inu-yōkai slit his sharp amber eyes to greet his prey with a mild expression on his face. It did not surprise him in the slightest to see an adolescent boy step from the darkness. He contrasted the dark veil of shadows at his back with his pale opaqueness, fair in almost every sense of the word, but shining behind the placid exterior lurked a soul as black and tainted as its eccentric creator. Sesshōmaru was not fooled by his light lavender eyes; they were as cold as the frost on the walls.

As if in response to his observation, the boy grinned. "He was right. You aren't fooled by my appearance."

"Who are you?" Jaken stepped closer and waved his staff.

The boy answered his question, but his eyes were locked with gold ones lined by fuchsia. "I am Hakudōshi.” He twisted his head to the side and grinned wickedly as he leered from the corner of his eye. "And you must be the  _great_ Sesshōmaru."

"How dare you mock my lord!?" The imp hopped forward angrily. "You shall pay for your impudence!" He raised his bizarre staff, preparing to stamp it into the earth. "Taste the wrath of Nintōjō!" He jerked the weapon downward.

"Stop."

The imp nearly fell over pulling up from his attack. He dragged himself up from his crumpled position and turned confused eyes to his master. "Lord Sesshōmaru?"

"Do not interfere."

"But Milord, he has disrespected you in your presence. It cannot go unpunished."

Sesshōmaru glared disdainfully at the smirking child. "The insolence seems to be an inherited trait."

"Why, Lord Sesshōmaru, I am flattered." He continued to grin sardonically.

Sesshōmaru watched him preen under his gaze and felt his ironclad patience yield to his frustration. "Did Naraku honestly believe he could lure me into his clutches like a meek lamb?"

The smile faded and Hakudōshi’s face finally grew serious. "He sent me with an uncharacteristic warning to be cautious. He said you were no ordinary yōkai."

"A shrewd assessment." Sesshōmaru blinked lazily.

"Although," Hakudōshi crossed his thin arms, "I have yet to see anything worth worrying over."

That ignorant observation had his lip curling up to reveal fangs. "Stupid boy." He lifted his hand and allowed his claws to glow green in the morning light. "By sending you as his minion, Naraku has proved just how expendable you are to him." He lifted his chin to stare down his nose. "You are nothing but a hapless pawn in his scheme."

Hakudōshi glared hatefully at him. "It is true that I have incurred his wrath before, but I am no longer unhappy in my role as his right hand." He took a fortifying breath. "He has given me what I wanted and I am content to do as he bids."

Sesshōmaru flexed his claws. "And what is it that you desire, boy?"

"To slaughter everything in my path." Hakudōshi grinned greedily. "And he has given me the most fruitful destination!"

There was something sinister in that spoiled grin, more so than he'd shone before. Sesshōmaru lowered his hand and relaxed his features. He addressed him with a cool blankness that masked his thoughts. So far they had avoided the actual reason for this orchestrated meeting, but his instincts told him that he'd finally unearthed it. Narrowing his tawny eyes, he stared coldly. "Explain yourself."

The incarnation named Hakudōshi smiled, showing perfect, white teeth. "My father has told me stories of the great Inu no Taishō. He said that he was Lord of the Western Lands up until his untimely death." He gave a clearly false frown at that. "The lands were then passed down to his firstborn, full-blooded yōkai son," he gestured to the Inu-yōkai opposite him, "you, Lord Sesshōmaru."

His audacity ignited a blazing rage inside him that nearly sent him snarling. Securing that billowing wrath made him clench his jaw, but he otherwise remained unmoved. An almost imperceptible ripple splashed along his aura; he had no worries about his self-control. "And?"

The pale boy sighed. "You are quite the powerful yōkai if you can swallow your true form so easily. Your father's blood must be great if you can control yourself so finely." Hakudōshi shook his head sadly. "It is no wonder that I was so readily thwarted by Inuyasha. His hanyō power is stronger than that of most full-blooded yōkai."

Sesshōmaru allowed his calmly raging aura to brush against the boy's. "You are avoiding my question."

Hakudōshi staggered back a step, but shrugged off the lash of power. "Naraku has allowed me the power to call every yōkai I wish to heel in order to annihilate the Western Lands of Inu no Taishō's son." He spat it out spitefully. "I will destroy your father's precious lands and every being within its borders until I am standing amid the ruins of your fortress and gazing upon your rotting corpse."

Sesshōmaru couldn't contain his amusement, raising his hand to caress his shimmering ruff. "Do you truly believe that leading an army of petty yōkai will be enough to defeat me?" He allowed him to see just how little he thought of the second-hand yōkai, his yōki bleeding tangible and lengthening his fangs. "Only the doomed are that foolish."

"You underestimate Naraku's power."

"His power is nothing, as are you."

Hakudōshi glared wildly. "Your lands will fall, Sesshōmaru."

His patience was great, but it was quickly draining away. "It would not do well to threaten me, boy."

The pale puppet smirked. "I may be a boy, but I am not finished with this little threat."

The inu-yōkai growled lowly. "Oh, really?"

Hakudōshi seemed to get a handle on himself, squaring his shoulders and holding out an arm to the crevice from which he’d crawled. "I would like to introduce you to someone."

Sesshōmaru watched silently as a tiny girl slipped silently from the cliff side, immediately sensing an emptiness about her aura; it was if she didn't have one. He decided it was fitting, considering her lack of color and personality – and life. She stopped just as mutedly beside the adolescent and his keen eyes fell onto the mirror held between her delicate hands. As his gaze drifted over it absently, he felt a strange pull deep within him, as if something was dragging at his heart.

Intrigued, Sesshōmaru smiled in a very unfriendly way. “I’m not sorry to disappoint you, but mirror tricks will not affect me.”

Hakudōshi merely shrugged. "I did not think they would, but can you fault me for trying?" He waited for a response, but when it was clear he wasn't going to get one, frowned. He glanced at the girl. "This is my eldest sister, Kanna. She was the first of us, followed quickly by Kagura – whom I'm sure you've met before."

"She is a better credit to yōkai than you."

He sneered. "By your definition, perhaps.” He moved to hover behind the girl, offense still twisting his pallid features. “You were correct about the mirror. Kanna has the power to absorb souls, rendering her victims to her mercy."

Sesshōmaru flicked a glance between them. "A puppet master, no different that her creator.” He hardened his golden gaze angrily. "She cannot help you."

"No, I don't think she will. But," he pointed at the mirror, "she has something to show you."

Kanna stepped forward and held out her mirror, no hint of emotion anywhere in her face. Sesshōmaru glanced at the mirror but didn't feel the pull he had before. Instead, his reflection blurred together until it was unrecognizable and shifted into something else. At first it appeared to be nothing more than a swirl of color, but the image stilled to reveal a tall woman standing amid a rainbow blanket of flowers.

Her back was to him, her long hair flowing behind her in the breeze. Her kimono was drab, ragged and threadbare, but it didn't distract from the radiant glow of her skin in the sunshine. Sesshōmaru watched her sift through the flowers – smelling them, touching them – and it was a very familiar gesture, one he’d seen before. She knelt in the soft soil, uncaring that it dirtied her kimono, and picked a pair of lavender flowers. She slipped gracefully to her feet, turning around as she did so. His heart beat faster as she reached up and placed the flowers to accent the lone lock of ebony hair tied off on the side of her head.

It was the simple smile on her face that had his eyes widening slightly with recognition. Tamping down his sudden myriad of haywire instincts, Sesshōmaru calmly surveyed the young woman striding through the flower patch. There was a flash of clarity that came to him then, and he knew, without a doubt, that he was tied to her regardless of how hard he had tried to dissuade himself of it in the past.

Rin was much more important than he willing to admit.

He watched silently as she strolled along the path, pausing to lift up the harmless black snake that tangled amongst her slender ankles. He hadn't realized how much a human could age in five years, the young sprite he'd sent away literally transformed into a woman. It was that moment that he understood what it meant to be immortal – five years was a nothing more than a blink in the span his existence. He studied the changes in her. Kimonos were meant to conceal a woman's shape, but the tattered one wrapped around her only seemed to accentuate it more. Her boyish build was gone, replaced by soft curves on a long, tenuous frame. Her face had gotten leaner, revealing high cheekbones, a softly curved jaw, and bewitching honey-colored eyes. Rin caressed the slithering creature's head before releasing it into the tall grass beside the path.

"Judging by your reaction, I'm willing to bet you remember her."

Sesshōmaru wrested his eyes to the boy. "What exactly are you attempting to threaten me with?"

"Young Rin has grown into quite the enchanting woman. Her beauty is beyond compare."

"If you have a point, I suggest you make it."

He grinned devilishly. "My father has seen the rarity of her kind of beauty and has decided to take her for himself."

Sesshōmaru pulled his yōki tight to him, glare going flat. "A bold move."

"Naraku assumed that you were still acting as her guardian. If that is not the case, then he will enjoy having a woman in his bed again."

Tokijin was free of his belt and leveled at Hakudōshi without a conscious thought, instincts momentarily overriding his will. The possessive drive to defend his claim and assert his dominance over the lesser upstart insulting him was daunting. He hadn’t felt a reaction this visceral since Inuyasha had claimed Tessaiga, calling on a bloodlust untouched for centuries and coating his tongue with its metallic aftertaste.

His amber gaze bled red as Tokijin's blue aura swirled into a blazing rage of crimson wrath. "He will not lay a hand on her."

Hakudōshi observed the shift and sent Kanna and her mirror away with a stiff-armed gesture. "Then you admit to attachment to a human."

“I have claimed her as my own and I will kill anyone who challenges it." His skin itched with want to release his true form, but he suppressed it with an outward pulse of yōki overflow, draining the edge from his rage. The flare of his eyes subsided and he lifted Tokijin to point at the sky. "I do not take kindly to threats."

The boy met his gaze, but his confidence in doing so was diminished in the face of the dai-yōkai’s magnitude. "It matters not whether you like it. Those are the choices laid out for you." He trembled under the weight of the power. "You can either save your lands or save the girl – you cannot do both."

"Do not presume to give me orders!"

Sesshōmaru brought Tokijin down with finality, blasting a path straight at the boy. The brilliant azure light was blinding as it crashed against the swirling barrier surrounding the child. The two powers battled and the air crackled with the energy, streaking out to singe the rocks around it. He could see him struggling to resist, but Hakudōshi yielded in the end. The flaring cerulean energy smashed through the barrier, tearing into the adolescent's body. Dust filled the air and despite its thickness, he could smell the blood.

The boy, however, was still alive.

Fur still proverbially ruffled, the howl in his veins was temporarily appeased as the air cleared. Hakudōshi was slumped against a boulder, blood and tissue from his mutilated right arm splattered across his clothes. He was laughing shakily, likely from shock. Sesshōmaru narrowed his chilly eyes, returning Tokijin to a skyward angle. "Do not believe that vermin such as you can give me ultimatums."

Hakudōshi grimaced as he propped himself up on his remaining elbow. "It is only an ultimatum if you wish it to be."

"Naraku will regret the day he deluded himself into thinking I could be manipulated into a tool for his arsenal. I am not some sentimental fool to be taken idly and I take orders from no one."

Twisting his wrist, he sent the shining blade of his sword into the gravel floor. The fraught energy screamed forth, carving a trench in the earth and shattering the stone walls around them. Hakudōshi gave a muffled cry as he was buried by the rubble.

Jaken yelped from his half-hidden position behind him. "Oh, Milord! The canyon is collapsing around us! We'll be crushed!"

"Hardly." He knocked away a rock that strayed too close with Tokijin; he had complete control over the blade and its power would only go where he wished it to go – in this case, Hakudōshi. "Get up, Jaken. We're leaving."

The imp hastily scrambled after him. "Most impressive, Milord. You killed him so easily."

Sesshōmaru stalked through the demolished corridor. "He escaped."

"But he threatened your lands, Milord. How could you let him get away with such behavior?" He trotted beside him. "And trying to leverage you with that worthless woman, it was complete madness."

The dai-yōkai's hand clenched around Tokijin's hilt as he whirled, pressing the tip of the blade into his servant's throat. "I would suggest silence."

Jaken nodded. "Of course, Milord. My deepest apologies."

The imp hung back as Sesshōmaru swung past and fell in step behind him. Sesshōmaru paid him no more attention, sliding Tokijin back into his belt. His thoughts drifted between the two sides of Naraku’s ploy. Rin's face pulled at him strongly, and the implications Hakudōshi raised enraged him.

He could not abandon the Western Lands and he knew without a doubt that there was where Naraku would strike the hardest.

The memory Rin's enchanting features frowned at him, tears sparkling in their warm, honey depths. Closing his own tormented eyes, he pushed her away and silenced the part of himself that knew he was forsaking her. He swallowed thickly and turned his gaze to the west, shoulders weighted.


	13. Chapter 13

_“These kinds of fights can never be won – even if you’re the victor, you’ve hurt the other person, and there has to be some loss associated with that.” – David Levithan, The Lover’s Dictionary_

* * *

 " _Sankon Tessō_!"

Inuyasha sighed and lifted up the planks of wood he'd just cut from the felled tree. He sauntered over to where Miroku was busy digging postholes. "I still don't understand why we're doing this. That stake works just fine."

"That may be true, but you never know when you might need a corral." Miroku tossed another scoop of dirt aside. "It just might come in handy. Besides, what else are we going to do while Kagome's healing?"

He snorted. "She was fine the other day. Why the hell does she have to sleep so much?"

"Jeez, Inuyasha. She's only a human, give her some time." Shippō paused his training to glance sideways at him.

Time was exactly the problem. Inuyasha stalked over to some of the already erected posts and proceeded to slide the planks through the slots cut into them. He didn't know exactly what had happened between the morning he'd held her and now, but it was like she was purposefully keeping him away. Two days earlier, when she'd taken a fever, she'd asked him to leave like he meant no more to her than as a disposable security blanket. And to top it all off, Sango had ordered them all to leave her alone, so Kagome could ‘rest’. He sneered as he fitted two panels together. "Stuff it, will ya? Get back to your training."

"You're so disgruntled, Inuyasha. At least you got to talk to her." Shippō leapt up off the ground and raised his arms. " _Kitsune Bi_!" The swirling emerald flames engulfed the scrap heap and transformed it into a smoking pile of cinders. "I still haven't even had the chance to see her yet."

Inuyasha was glad he was facing away because he knew his expression would definitely rub them the wrong way. "It wasn't all you seem to think it was." Neither of them answered and he realized he'd murmured mostly to himself. His behavior the other night still flustered him - to say he was embarrassed was an understatement of massive proportions.

"It looks like your fire is getting stronger, Shippō." The monk maneuvered another slotted post into the hole he'd dug.

"Inuyasha's been teaching me to fight." He beamed.

Miroku glanced at the scowling hanyō. "That's good. I'm sure it'll come in handy when we set out again."

"Ha!" Inuyasha fitted more planks. "At this rate, we won't leave here for another twenty years."

Miroku frowned. "Don't blame Kagome for this. She didn't ask to be attacked."

"Keh." He reached for another board, but there were none. "I'll be back." He stalked away from them without a backward glance. He knew it wasn't Kagome's fault, but he'd already been waiting for five agonizing years to find some kind of closure for the bullshit his life had become and it was frustrating as hell.

Shippō watched him go. "What's eating him?"

Miroku sank his shovel into the soft earth to start the last post hole for the corral. "Oh, I'm sure it's something you can't do anything about."

"What's  _that_  supposed to mean?"

"It's an adult thing."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, you know." Shippō puffed himself up for emphasis.

Miroku laughed. "I can see that." He leaned on the shovel. "What I meant was, Inuyasha's problem has to do with Kagome and only the two of them can fix it."

"Oh! So, it's love thing." He clapped his hands together as if that explained everything.

Miroku laughed tensely. "Ah, I guess you could say that."

"What exactly are you two discussing?"

Both males jumped and spun to face Sango. Miroku waved a hand flippantly. "Oh, um...nothing much."

She nodded patronizingly. "Mhm, and I have ‘stupid’ written across my forehead." She raised a single brow. "Do you want to try that again?"

He sighed and shoved the spade back into the dirt. "C'mon Sango, he's out in the woods. He can't hear us."

"Okay, but don't expect me to fix whatever he breaks on the two of you." She planted her hands wearily on her hips. "I think I've had it with sick people."

Miroku glanced at Shippō. "It's nice to be loved so deeply." He rested a hand over his chest as if wounded.

"Oh, please." Sango rolled her eyes.

Shippō started to giggle. "You guys are funny."

Sango pursed her lips sourly. "I'm glad our marriage is so hilarious."

The monk stabbed the shovel into the ground and went over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Come now, Sango. Being tied to me for life can't be  _that_  bad."

"Sometimes I don't know what I see in you."

His head drooped. "Ouch."

All three jumped when a loud clack sounded through the meadow. "Just because you're married doesn't mean I want to see you hanging all over each other." Inuyasha stood beside a pile of freshly cut wood.

Miroku leaned away from Sango. "Inuyasha, you're back."

"Please," he raised his hands like he was yielding, "don't let me stop you. Do continue." Inuyasha smirked and snatched Miroku's shovel.

"You're just jealous because Kagome won't- mmmmm!" Miroku snatched up the kit and covered his mouth.

Inuyasha paused in his dirt scooping, twirling the shovel until he held it like a low-guarded sword. "Kagome won't what?"

"Shippō's just babbling nonsense. Don't pay any attention to him." Miroku swallowed nervously.

"That's what I thought." He resumed shoveling. "Now get over here and help me finish!"

The four of them quickly sunk the last post and connected the remaining boards. Sango smiled at the well-made structure. "Now all you have to do is put Kagome's horse in there."

"Fuck that." Inuyasha crossed his arms. "That thing deserves a _Kaze no Kizu_ from Tessaiga."

Shippō sighed. "I'll get him. At least he didn't try to kill me."

"I'm serious. That thing is more of a yōkai than I am."

Sango nodded and watched Shippō walk off. "I'm sure it is."

"Fine. Don't believe me." What did it matter to him anyway? He was picking fights for no apparent reason. The only one he had a problem with was the one lying in the house. 

"Uh, Miroku?" Shippō popped up beside the monk.

"Yes?"

"Didn't you stake him out behind the shed?"

"I'm positive."

The kitsune shrugged. "He's gone."

Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Then why don't you try tracking him like I taught you."

"Oh, right. Okay." He scampered off.

Miroku's brow furrowed with confusion. "I could've sworn that the stake wouldn't come out."

Sango shrugged. "Let's see where his trail leads."

* * *

Kagome ran her fingers along the black-ringed tails lying across her lap. "What should I do, Kirara?"

The saber-tooth cat rumbled against her back.

She nestled deeper into the nest the neko-yōkai had created for her. "I used to think exams and school were the hardest things I'd ever do, but I was  _way_  wrong." She sighed wearily. "I've been having a recurring dream for years now, of the day I ran like a coward. I just didn't see it that way back then."

Kirara's tails twitched with disagreement.

"That's nice of you, but I never really understood what exactly I'd done until a friend pointed it out. Well, he was more than a friend, and he didn't realize what he'd said, but you get what I'm trying to say." Kagome glanced at her large cat eyes. "Right?"

Kirara just blinked at her.

"Oh, who am I kidding? Even  _I_ have no idea what I'm talking about." She blew out a breath and wriggled her fingers in the creamy fur. "Inuyasha was really kind the other night and as much as I'd like to believe he's well and truly forgiven me, I'm not foolish enough to know that he has. He was concerned about my safety, so I guess that means he still cares for me even the littlest bit. I'd like to just say I'm sorry, but I doubt that would come anywhere close to making up for what I put him through – I gave up on him."

Kirara emitted a comforting growl and nudged her large head against the priestess's shoulder.

Kagome twisted around as best she could and wrapped her arms around the cat's heavily furred neck. "You haven't given up on me, have you? You still think I can pull this off." She pulled back when her tender shoulder started to ache. She reached around to massage the knotted muscles and met Kirara's gaze. "Thanks for coming out here with me. I doubt I could protect myself like this." She glanced over at the grazing horse on the other side of shrubs. "Hopefully we'll get back before they even realize we were gone."

Placing a hand on the neko-yōkai's shoulder, Kagome pushed to her feet and straightened out the periwinkle kimono Sango had given her. The soft linen was covered in a muted floral pattern and was made all the more eye-catching by the bright yellow obi securing it at her waist. She'd refused to wear something so fine, but the yōkai-taijiya had just snatched up her other clothes in response and she couldn't very well walk around naked, could she?

Kagome smirked, knowing one monk in particular that wouldn’t mind; she could just picture the type of slapping Sango would give him. She stifled a giggle and flashed to memories of the many times Inuyasha had been 'accidentally' privy to her nude form. Despite blowing it off as utterly ridiculous – “ _Why the hell would I want to look anyway?!”_ – Kagome knew his eyes had lingered up until the point she'd shouted ‘sit’. She couldn't help but wonder what he would say now…

Kirara yowled at her daydreaming form and Kagome suddenly felt her cheeks go red. What was she doing? She was supposed to be going back to the house so she could go Naraku-hunting, not indulging in ridiculous fantasies. She grimaced at Kirara. "Sorry, you're right."

Starting for the grazing horse, she strode along beside the neko-yōkai in contemplative silence. The cool breeze ruffled the trees around her, some of the leaves snapping loose from their branches and fluttering to the ground. The breeze also brought the sound of broken voices with it and Kirara was suddenly snarling next to her. Kagome judged the distance between Shunsoku and herself and knew that she couldn't get there by the time those voices found her. Turning towards the cat, she swiftly slipped onto her broad back. "They're close."

Kirara readied for a fight, crouching and growling loudly.

"I found him!"

Kagome gripped the cat tightly as she leapt over the hedges and pounced on the small creature that had popped out from them. Kirara suddenly jerked back and she was tossed off unexpectedly. Landing on her rear, she let out a huff and rubbed her tender backside. "That hurt."

"Why the heck did you tackle me for, Kirara?!"

Kagome looked up and stared straight into the blazing green eyes of the kitsune. "Shippō?"

The eyes so full of fire were quickly doused by a rush of tears. "Kagome!" He jumped up and dashed into her wide, open arms.

"Oh, Shippō!" She could feel her own tears welling. The boy in her arms definitely wouldn't be able to perch on her shoulder anymore. "You're so big!" His small arms crushed around her. "And strong."

He didn't seem to hear her over his blubbering. "I missed you so much! I thought you'd never come back!"

"Sssh." She rubbed comforting circles on his back. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

He pulled back, sniffing. "That's what you said before."

She smiled tenderly and dusted off his clothes. "I know and I'm sorry. I'd take it back if I could."

"It's okay. I know it was Inuyasha's fault."

"No!"

Shippō flinched like she'd belted him. "W-what?"

Kagome gripped his shoulders sternly. "Do not blame Inuyasha. It wasn't his fault."

He frowned. "But he told me what happened."

"He did what?" Kagome's mortification drained all the strength from her voice, leaving it to croak out of her throat.

Shippō sat down cross-legged in front of her. "Yeah. He told me about how you asked him to ch-" He looked up when she covered her hand over his mouth.

"Shippō, I want you to do something for me." She took back her hand. "I know I shouldn't be asking any favors of you, but this is very, very important to me."

The kit gazed worriedly at her. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise  _not_  to bring that up with Inuyasha again." She swallowed. "Ever."

"Why?"

Kagome shut her eyes with frustration. "What happened between us should've stayed between us. I'm not blaming either of you, but Inuyasha and I are the only ones that can deal with it. I know you mean well, really, but you'd be interfering." She sighed, easing the tension from her body. "And I don't want Inuyasha to take his anger at me out on you."

"I don't know..." He looked away.

"Please, Shippō." She fisted her hand into her kimono.

He glanced at her panic-stricken face, nodding woodenly. "Alright."

She swept him up into an almost brutal hug. "Thank you so much!"

Shippō squirmed until she released him. "Well, just so you know, he's coming this way."

Kagome's stomach plummeted. "Now?"

"Yep. We finished the corral and found him," he pointed at Shunsoku, "gone."

She leaned forward onto her hands. "Shit."

"Mhm, you're busted."

* * *

Inuyasha followed the sound of Shippō's call, Miroku and Sango tagging along behind him. "I told you it was a pain in the ass. Look how far into the woods we're going. It's ridiculous."

"It is odd."

He glanced at Miroku. "What is?"

Sango answered for him. "That he went into the woods to begin with."

The monk nodded with agreement. "You'd assume he would have gone farther into the open clearing."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I knew when it tried to kick my fucking head in that I should've killed it right there." He slashed his claws to cut through a thicket. "What the hell was she thinking?"

"She probably thought she was too much of a-" he bumped into the suddenly still hanyō, "burden." Miroku frowned. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

"I know why it's out here." He growled lowly.

Sango stepped towards him. "Why?"

He clenched a clawed fist and stalked forward. "Kagome's scent is everywhere."

"Kagome?" Sango wrung her hands. "But she should still be in bed."

Inuyasha caught sight of the wayward equine and snorted. "When was the last time you checked on her?"

She thought about it and looked over at him apologetically. "A few hours."

He whirled away from them both and stalked after Shippō and Kagome's combined scent. Mingled amongst them was also the unmistakably feline smell of Kirara. The horse lifted its head as he approached, but he didn't see any of the others. Glancing instinctively to his right, his hardened eyes fell on the trio sitting under the tall oak. Seeing her kneeling there among the trees irritated his inu-yōkai into a vibrating rage. His hands twitched with want to shake her, physically reprimanding her for taking liberties on borrowed time. He could feel the dog inside him rumbling with agreement.

"No."

Inuyasha beat it back into submission and sucked in a deep breath, holding it in until his chest burned. The dog woofed its bitterness and he mentally snapped at it, willing it into submission and bleeding the yōki from his aura. He finally felt it settle, promising that he’d ensure she saw the error of her ways.

Kagome could see it in his walk, the anger making him somewhat stiff, but it didn't distract from the fluid grace of his prowl. Watching him approach, she had a sudden insight into what a deer might feel when hunted by a wolf; he was the predator and she was his prey. It made her heart rate intensify and her chest rose and fell heavily. She wondered vaguely if either Shippō or Kirara felt like this, but quickly discarded the notion.

Inuyasha wasn't staring at either one of them.

He halted maybe three feet away and gazed down his nose at her. It made her frown with distaste. That look of superiority was better fit on his brother.

The hanyō glared down at her tensely guarded face and could smell the anxiety coming off her in waves. Without looking away, he addressed the kitsune. "Go over by Miroku, Shippō."

He shook his head and crossed his arms. "No way."

"Please leave us."

Shippō continued to stand mulishly. "Nope."

The hanyō's lip curled back to show glinting fangs as he finally turned his predatory amber gaze to him. "I asked you nicely as a friend, but now, as your teacher, I am telling you to beat it."

Kagome watched Inuyasha closely. He was on the edge of a major eruption. "Do as he says, Shippō."

The kit gaped between the two, but just gritted his teeth. "C'mon, Kirara. Let's go." The super-sized cat transformed back into her pint-sized version and dashed off to follow him.

Kagome watched them go and finally slipped to her feet, arms akimbo. She brushed her bangs out of her face and met his gaze. "Inuyasha."

"What the fuck are you doing out here?"

She had barely managed to finish the greeting. Ignoring her immediate reaction to snap back, she answered somewhat conversationally. "Truthfully? I had to take a trip to the bushes, if you get my meaning."

Inuyasha hardly believed that; bodily functions were a surefire way to fluster her and she was completely straight-faced. "Cut the crap. I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"Neither am I." Kagome swallowed back her irritation. It was going to take all her strength to refrain from arguing. "Think what you want, but it's the truth. Hell, ask Kirara. She stood watch just like Sango told her."

"And what? You thought you'd just go on a leisurely ride in the woods?"

She raised a brow at that. "Yes?"

Her tone had him hesitating to give her what she deserved. He wanted to stay angry at her; he had every right to practically despise her right now. "It was an unnecessary risk."

She shrugged. "I couldn't stand lying in that bed anymore. I needed fresh air."

He stepped closer, suppressing a snarl. "Then why did you sneak off? I would've brought you if you had asked!"

He was shouting now and she realized they had an audience standing over by Shunsoku. She wanted to answer him, but didn't really feel like being watched like a bug under glass. She pointed towards them. "Inuyasha..."

He cut his blazing gold eyes at them; Miroku, Sango, Shippō, Kirara, and even that hell-spawned horse, were watching them. They saw him staring and simultaneously averted their eyes as if the trees or grass were suddenly more interesting. He whipped back to Kagome and snatched her wrist tightly. "Fuck them! I want to know why!"

Kagome winced at how fiercely he was squeezing her wrist. Normally that kind of reaction would make him stop, but he only jerked her closer. She braced a defensive hand against his steely chest and tried to get away, eyes narrow and jaw clenched. "You're hurting me."

He bent his head and was pleased to see her freeze in his grip, her eyes huge and doe-like. He growled just about against her lips. "Why?"

She thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. He was clearly threatening her – she would've kneed any other male, even Miroku, by now – but she found herself reluctant to pull away. There was something captivating about how upset and possessive he was behaving, even if she knew he had no right to touch her without her say so; it was heady to see how out of sorts she could make him.

Kagome swallowed past the thick knot in her throat and spoke through gritted teeth. "I didn’t realize I needed your permission."

Her aroused scent pelted him hard and he had to breathe through his mouth lest he wanted to do something he'd regret. It didn't stop his inu-yōkai from catching wind of it, though – the dog rushed forward and had him moving to breathe against her ear. "You afraid of me?"

The husky whisper sent her shivering even as she jerked her arm in his iron grip. "You wish."

He smirked and felt his anger return, nipping her tender neck sharply in retaliation. "Liar.”

Kagome yelped and yanked back, staring at his smug expression with shock. Her simmering rage boiled to the surface and she easily shoved him away, almost burning him with her power in her state of fury. "You did that on purpose!"

He gave a fanged, feral grin. "You respond so well."

"You asshole!" Now she was the one yelling at the top of her lungs. "The reason I didn't ask you was because I knew we'd end up doing _this_!" She threw up her hands and made the sarcastic, quotations gesture with her long fingers. "I knew we'd end up fighting over it! And guess what?" She stepped back towards him and glared up into his face.

"What?"

"I was right!"

He watched her seethe and thought she couldn't look more irresistible with her mahogany eyes flashing. He growled appreciatively despite his ire. "You know what, Kagome?"

"What, Inuyasha?!"

She watched his amusement slide away to reveal a very cold, very calculated gaze. He squared his shoulders and her heart stuttered at the shift. "I've thought a lot of things about you."

Kagome fisted her hands at her sides as he started to drift away from cruel to melancholy, as if he was already apologizing for what he was about to say. "And?"

"I never thought that being a coward would be one of them." Inuyasha pivoted on his heel and leapt into the trees before he lost his nerve, ignoring the ugly churn of satisfaction and regret boiling inside him.

Kagome's vision blurred as glared after his retreat. "Damn you, Inuyasha. Damn you." She dug her nails into her palms as she fought back the hurt. Clamping her eyes shut, she screamed after him. "Damn you, Inuyasha!"

The shout sapped the last of her strength and those pent up emotions smashed into her painfully. Sinking down to kneel in the silken grass, Kagome pounded her fists into the earth and finally succumbed to the weight of her tears. Her arms folded and she lay her forehead on the ground brokenly, her heaving breaths coming out strangled. The noises around her faded away and she vaguely felt a comforting touch on her shoulder. She didn't know which one of them it was – Sango, most likely – but the arms dragged her up and held her tightly as she cried tears of frustrated mortification.


	14. Chapter 14

_“A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” – Baltasar Gracián, The Art of Worldly Wisdom_

* * *

 

There was a time when he'd thought his luck had run out. From that point forward, he fully expected everything to be a hassle, to most likely come back around to bite him, and he had been right. He guessed that made him – officially – the World's Greatest Pessimist, but making a lot out of himself wasn't one of his strong points. Even as a young child, self-doubt had been his one constant companion. He'd joked for a long time that he must have been adopted because neither his father, nor his sister, held a single ounce of doubt in themselves. It was notions like those that made his current predicament so all the more bitter.

It was also that distasteful conditioning that had him rooted in place and blinking with astonishment.

Kohaku had to be seeing things. He rubbed his balled fists into his eyes and tried again. Peering around the local fishmonger's hut, he watched the pale woman stride alongside the village's headman. Nope, he definitely was not seeing things _–_ her identity was unmistakable.

Kikyō, the legendary re-animated priestess with the power to sense and purify the Sacred Jewel, had come to his tucked-away village.

And almost on cue, her chilly gaze darted to his current peep-spot and Kohaku had to duck behind the shabby thatched hut, heart leaping at her perceptivity. Reaching behind his head, he absently rubbed the tiny ridge beside his spine. He knew Kikyō didn't travel aimlessly. It was probable that his shard was the one that had drawn her here to begin with. Slipping back out around the building, he hoisted the string of pelts he'd brought with him – he had been on his way to sell them when the priestess's presence sidetracked him.

The village may have been off the beaten path, but it certainly wasn't dull. Hidden away between twin peaks and adjacent to a swift river, it was quite the busy place. The bustling little market was situated on the eastern bank, with several crossings to connect it to the homes on the western. Being so closed off from the rest of the countryside made it very self-sufficient, but it also made the people overly cautious. When he'd stumbled upon it nearly five years ago, he'd been chased out repeatedly until they realized he meant no threat. And although he'd finally been accepted, he was not allowed to reside with any of the other families.

Instead, he took up residence in an abandoned hut on the southern end of the market strip. Its previous owner had been an elderly parasol maker, leaving behind colorful oiled-paper scraps and the unfinished bamboo frames of the umbrellas. He'd cleared out the cluttered, cobwebbed hut and repaired as much of the shabby tatami mats as he could. It only had two rooms: the work room where he sold his goods, and the slightly larger living quarter where he slept. At the start he had no means to survive, but he caught onto the idea of selling pelts when a young mother had commented on how fine his rabbit-fur overcoat was – it had been winter then, and he'd been very hungry. Now he had a steady business, more so in the winter months, selling an assortment of pelts he hunted himself. He even made some extra money selling the excess meat from the animals.

Kohaku merged into the crowd, making himself as inconspicuous as possible. He didn't want Kikyō to single him out just yet, not that he hadn't already assumed that would be her intention. A priestess, even a dead one, was never without a purpose. He followed the flow of foot traffic, always keeping her within sight, and continued on until he reached the local tailor.

Paper, cotton, linen, and silk were the normal resources used to fashion clothing, but up in this mountainous country – especially with the chill of winter looming – his furs were becoming a staple for staving off the cold. The grizzled old man chose what he wanted and handed over the appropriate amount. Kohaku slung the remaining pelts over his shoulder and started back the way he'd come.

This time, however, he planned on making a detour.

Angling his way past the denizens, he cut his way through the market to the alley that abutted the thoroughfare just north of where the headman was speaking with Kikyō. Leaning against the closer building, he eavesdropped.

"Perhaps the tale of our ill children has blessed our humble village with your presence?" The headman bowed his head.

"Do not trouble yourself with displays of rank. I am but a priestess." She spoke in a tone that was eerily calm. "And yes, I have heard of the plight of your youth. I came to offer my services."

"Priestess, do you mean to help heal our sick?"

"Yes."

"We are humbly blessed by your kindness." He pressed his hands together and bowed again lower. "We are in your debt."

"Healing the indisposed is my duty and you will owe nothing for it."

Kohaku watched with mild awe as she shifted her one-handed grip on the ebony long bow so that it pointed in his very direction. It was so subtle that the headman, watching her so intently, hadn't noticed. Smiling to himself, he gave up hiding and strode right up beside her. "I couldn't help but over hear, priestess," he gave her wide, astonished eyes, "that you're a healer."

He could tell from the suddenly harsh set to her eyes that the irony of his words was not lost to her. She smiled. "That is true."

That peaceful smile held promise of more discomfort than any his so-called master could produce. He nodded his head beseechingly. "It is above my station to make such requests, but I am in need of your help."

"My help?" Kikyō couldn't help the edge of contempt in her voice.

Not wanting to discontent someone of such high esteem, the headman intervened. "Lady, please allow me to apologize for young Kohaku's rudeness. He is a ruffian."

Kohaku kept his head ducked to hide the rolling of his eyes. The headman had it out for him since the beginning and only the praise of the villagers kept him from banishing him. He had no idea what he'd done to offend the man so severely, except in his persistence to stay. Grudgingly, Kohaku bowed low and turned to leave. "Please forgive me, priestess. I must return to see to my wounded sister."

Kikyō's cool eyes widened a bit as she watched him start off, recalling he truly did have a sister that traveled alongside Inuyasha. She stepped after him. "Kohaku! Wait!"

He disappeared into the crowd.

Dampened, she turned to the arrogant headman. "His sister, is she actually here?"

He nodded, somewhat annoyed. "You must have met his kind before. He came here a few years ago, half-starved and wild as a feral dog. And just like one, he refused to leave, always hanging about waiting for someone to throw him some scraps." He sneered in the departed boy's direction. "And as any dog eventually does, he stayed. He started selling those pelts, such a crude trade, and whenever anyone ever asked about his family, all he'd mention was a lost elder sister."

Kikyō was steadily growing to dislike the ignorant man standing before her. It was apparent he only cared about himself and the title he had so repetitively pressed upon her. "When did she arrive?"

He held his chin in thought. Kikyō wasn't fooled; he knew. He lifted his pock-marked face to gaze at her with mock enlightenment. "Oh, yes! Now I remember! She showed up mysteriously about a week ago." He beamed.

She ignored his antics. "Tell me, headman, where does Kohaku live?"

"The mutt lives in the old parasol maker's hut at the end of the row." He watched in disbelief as she started off in that direction. "Lady Kikyō, what of healing the children?"

She smiled over her shoulder at him. "I'm sure a few hours’ time will not make a difference."

"But these children are much more important than one boy's wounded sister." He spread his arms admonishingly.

She turned to face him directly. "Just by listening to you in our previous conversation, it became obvious to me that you would not have told me of his wounded sister simply because you despise him. That lack of common courtesy is what made me honor his request before honoring yours. You wonder why the children to do not come first? Look at yourself and the answer will become clear to you."

Thoroughly chastised, he bowed low, almost to his knees, and spoke hastily. "Your wisdom is great, Lady Kikyō."

She watched him go and fervently hoped that he heeded her reprimand. Sighing, she continued on down the dusty market strip. The village was much more urbanized than any she'd visited before, reinforcing the knowledge that she was living fifty-five years beyond her time. She smiled genuinely at the children staring at her regality with awe, and thought wistfully of the life stolen from her by a greedy, obsessed yōkai.

Her graceful stride carried her silently to the front of the final shop on the row. It was an old structure, but well-kept, and nailed above the woven, bamboo door were a pair of identical snake skins. The rust colored scales glinted in the afternoon sun, the dark geometric designs running their length giving away the obviously venomous danger of their former owners. Kikyō couldn't help but notice the similarity between the twin skins and the owner of the shop they were attached to; Kohaku was just as obviously lethal, if one paid attention. Raising her bow, she pushed the flap aside and slipped inside.

The front room was lit by the twin windows on the sidewalls, allowing her to see the large variety of pelts hung on finely crafted display racks. The array was impressive: rabbit, mink, badger, raccoon, doe and buck skin, snake, fox, wolf, and even what she believed was bear. Moving deeper into the room, she could see Kohaku sitting behind a small table entering his sales in a thick, leather-bound ledger. He looked up from the book and smiled. "We meet again, Lady Kikyō, and so quickly. I take it that the headman made his true nature apparent?"

"He did."

He went back to his book. "And am I right to assume you learned of the sister I happened to allude to earlier?"

"Yes." His calmness bothered her. "Was that a lie?"

"Yes and no." Kohaku set down his writing brush and stood up. "Yes, there is a woman residing here. No, she is not my sister." He strode to a strong wooden door without looking at her. "This way, Lady Kikyō."

The priestess suddenly felt uneasy. "She is not Sango, the yōkai-taijiya of Inuyasha's band?"

The boy stopped, his high-set ponytail swaying, and turned pained brown eyes at her. "I do not wish to insult my guest, but I do wish she truly was my elder sister, Sango." He took a relaxing breath. "That, sadly, is not possible. However, with your help, I may be able to see her again without violent intentions."

Kikyō kept her thoughts to herself and followed him into the larger rear room. She sensed the aura immediately, recognized its owner, and raised her bow to the wind witch sitting demurely on the straw mattress. "Kagura."

Kohaku stepped in front of the arrowhead and held up the wind-yōkai's fan. "She intends no ill-will. We just wish to speak with you."

"Minions of Naraku cannot be trusted!" She hissed.

"That is true." The hoarse voice startled the priestess into gazing at the other woman. "But I hold allegiance to Kohaku alone. Naraku uses me against my will."

It was then that Kikyō saw the glaring wound at her neck, partially healed and speaking volumes to how cruel a master Naraku was. The woman's pale face was strained with pain. In the depths of her brilliant persimmon eyes, Kikyō could see her desolation. "Naraku did this to you?"

Kagura smiled bitterly. "Punishment for trying to kill my brothers." She leaned back against the hut's wall. "He wants to see to you."

"I should've known." Kikyō tightened the arrow.

The wounded yōkai laughed and ended up folded over, hacking violently into her hands. The sound seemed to echo about the room and the priestess finally lowered her bow. She couldn't kill Kagura when she was wounded and unarmed. Kagura sat up with a shuddering gasp, blood on her lips. "Spare your arrows, priestess. Killing me will prove to be a fruitless endeavor."

Kohaku knelt beside her and held out a rag. "We were given orders to find you and bring you back to him. For what reasons, we do not know." He stood up and rested a hand on Kagura's shoulder. "We don't know what he's planning, but we know that it'll involve killing Sango and her friends." His fingers tightened on Kagura’s shoulder until she had to cover them in a motherly gesture. Kohaku hung his head. "I don't want to kill anymore. I don't want to be his slave."

Kikyō absorbed this in silence, not allowing her feelings to lower her guard. She shifted neutral eyes to the wind sorceress. "And you?"

Kagura wiped the blood from her chin. "I once thought I was better than all these human peasants because I was a yōkai. Turns out, I'm really no different. I was born a slave to a master I despise, but unlike a peasant, I cannot buy my freedom."

"You never seemed to care before."

"You've only really seen me during battle or when in his company. As contradictory as this sounds, killing is not something I enjoy. When Naraku slept, I had zero confrontations with either yōkai or humans I encountered." She paused to take a few wheezing breaths. Kohaku moved to a small bucket of water beside the bed and moistened the cloth. He gave it to Kagura, who pressed it against her wound and eased with relief. Her vibrant eyes looked over at Kohaku. "I am of the wind and I want nothing more than to share its liberty. Kohaku and I both desire to live free of Naraku's grip. That bastard is unwilling to grant it to either of us, always holding it out in front of us like a carrot to a horse."

Kikyō finally allowed herself to kneel opposite them. They had been honest from the start and were not going to attack her. She set down her long bow and sighed. "There is another way."

"Of course there is." Kagura smirked. "If we fail to kill him and are not released by his death at the hands of you, Sesshōmaru, or Inuyasha, then we will gladly take our freedom in the form of death."

The brown eyed priestess gazed between the two seriously. "You are willing to die to free yourselves?"

Kagura smiled at that. "You know as well as I do that life does not end after death, even for the damned."

She didn't respond because the wind witch was right; one's soul did not cease to exist after leaving its physical body. Kikyō weighed her options and leveled them both with a hard stare. "I have no choice but to go to him?"

"No."

She hesitated a moment, not completely sure she was actually going to follow through on her thought. Sighing, Kikyō got to her feet. "I will help you as much as I am able. I shall keep your request in mind, so long as you honor one of mine."

"I'm not going to regret this, am I?" Kagura leaned forward and using her hands, stood up to face the now standing priestess.

"Only if your distaste for murderous killing was a fabrication." She smiled with a slightly haughty flair in her ethereal features.

Kagura surveyed her critically. This was the turn of character she was concerned about. When she was spiritually calm, the priestess was generally a motherly, lend-a-hand, guidance type. A shift like this made her unpredictable and extremely dangerous. It made Kagura regret handing her fan over to Kohaku as a gesture of good will. Stepping to her left, she partially obstructed Kikyō's view of the boy. "I am not bloodthirsty, priestess."

"Hmm," She shut her eyes. "Am I that untrustworthy?"

"I don't know. You tell me." She folded her arms. "I am a yōkai. We have a natural tendency to be wary of the spiritually strong."

Kikyō chuckled softly. "Tactfully put. Do not trouble yourself, Kagura. I always keep my word."

"A welcome change, I guess." She swallowed past a particularly painful throb in her throat.

"I expect so." Kikyō flicked her bow. "Now, of my request-"

"What is it?"

Kagura stiffened at Kohaku's murmured demand and tensely eyed him over her shoulder with strained crimson orbs. "Easy, Kohaku."

"No." The priestess tipped her head. "He is right. We are wasting time with insignificant banter."

The unperturbed boy slipped around his wounded shield and met her eyes with deadly seriousness. "Your request?"

She stared down at him harshly. "I will offer my aid if you two promise to leave Inuyasha and Kagome alive."

"How the hell am I supposed to promise  _that_?!" Kagura sputtered, but staved off that horrible rakish cough. Blinking back tears, she pushed Kohaku aside. "You know damn well that he'll send us after them. It's written in stone."

"Yes, I'm sure it is."

"If I hold back in a fight against them, he'll know and then I'll never be free of his torture. Not to mention that being passive in a battle against Inuyasha, or your annoying little twin, could kill me."

"Then you understand the risk I am taking by aiding you." She tapped the end of her bow on the wooden floor as if reprimanding her. "They are to remain alive, regardless of who attacks them."

Kagura sneered at her. "You know we cannot guarantee their safety at Naraku's hands."

"Then I will leave it to you to make sure they are not killed. Otherwise, my obligation to you will be nullified."

"You are quite ruthless as a priestess, Kikyō. I'd say close enough to be in league with Naraku."

"I was a priestess once, yes, but I am now a member of the dead using a priestess's pretense as a disguise." She smiled sweetly. "Do I have your word that you will insure Inuyasha and Kagome's safety?"

Kagura glared at her smug expression. Jaw clenched tight enough to possibly crush bones, she bowed her head acquiescently. "Very well, Kikyō." She watched her turn to leave. "I do have one question, though."

Kikyō narrowed her chocolate eyes. "Yes?"

"Is taking Inuyasha to the grave and stealing back your soul really your heart's desire?"

The priestess looked away in thought, and after a few tense minutes, returned her eyes to the wind sorceress's. "As much as your freedom is yours." She stepped towards the door. "I will be tending to the ill children of this village. When the time comes, send Kohaku to me and I will come peacefully."

The boy nodded. "Thank you, Lady Kikyō."

She disappeared through the doorway and Kagura slumped back down on the bed in exhaustion. She honestly had no clue whether or not it was prudent to rely on Kikyō, especially with such bias towards yōkai, but what other choices did she have? She had offended and nearly killed all the others capable of liberating her. She clenched a fist and stared intently at it, knowing Naraku had negated all her options for allies. Although she doubted he was powerful enough, the wolf prince, Kōga, would not aid her on the grounds of her vicious slaughter of his kin. As a wind-yōkai herself, enlisting in Sesshōmaru's strength had insulted his honor, as well as admitted weakness, which was blasphemy in his eyes. 

And then there was Inuyasha, the inu-hanyō _;_  the number of times she'd attempted to murder him or his little group of friends had escaped her recollection – that, in and of itself, obliterated any chance of earning his favor. It sickened her to rely on the help of others, but without her heart, her strength could only grow a small amount.

She had also taken a strong protective urge towards the forsaken boy beside her. It bewildered her to want to actually protect something other than herself, and made her wonder if the dog brothers weren't crazy in their thinking. She watched silently as Kohaku tidied up the room and started a small cook fire. It was in that moment of observation that she realized what she was thinking. A faint smile played on her lips. If it came to be that only one of them could be freed, then she'd gladly be the one to die bound, knowing he deserved to live much more than she. He glanced in her direction and winked before turning back to the food cooking on the wooden board.

Straying from Naraku was surely dangerous, but now she had to wait and see if it would kill her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: emotional/psychological manipulation, torture, and trauma

_“There was something delightfully intimate about the relationship between predator and prey.” – Nenia Campbell, Horrorscape_  

* * *

 

Rin's feet were aching, as were her ankles…and her calves.

Sitting off to the side of the trail, she gingerly slipped off her straw sandals and examined the angry red blisters on her heels. She frowned at the painful inconvenience and slid her sling pack from her shoulders. Setting the bundle down, she unrolled it and sorted through the various items piled inside. She pushed aside the fine whalebone comb and the carefully folded silk kimono – by far her most valuable possession – searching for the small pouch of healing salve her Aunt had given her. She pursed her lips bitterly as she plucked the coarse linen sack up from her meager belongings.

Pulling the string tying it closed, she started to murmur aloud to herself. "The only reason she gave this to me was because I was always coming home scratched and bruised. All she did was complain." She winced slightly as she smeared the thick goo over each and every one of the vicious sores. "She was always saying I acted too much like a boy, wandering around the village, and she loved laying hands on me for any imagined offence." She smirked despite herself. "Shirking my chores was a favorite, but then again, that was usually true."

Early on, the woman she had only known as Aunt was pleasant with her strictness. It was an inevitably short-lived time considering her propensity for living on whim. Her unintentional disobedience – most times in the form of an intriguing distraction that deviated her from her task – eventually led to savage scolding that escalated to regular walloping from whatever instrument was in her Aunt's grip at the time; a fan, a writing brush, her gnarled walking stick, and the cursed willow twitch were just a few of the inventive weapons the testy woman had brandished. The twitch was by far the worst, cutting into her tender skin and leaving inflamed welts in its wake. Rin learned quickly to avoid her Aunt whenever her hands were full.

It wasn't like she was a stranger to ill treatment; they were well acquainted. Rin shook her head and tied the pouch shut again. She had been shocked to her very core when the old biddy had first raised her hand to her, knowing it wasn’t supposed to be that way.

_"You needn't worry, Rin. You will be safe here."_

Rin's honey colored eyes burned despite her ire. "You lied to me, Lord Sesshōmaru. You lied!" She hung her head, blinking back her tears and took a steadying breath. She knew her own kind better than anyone, proven right, time and again. She stared at the soft dirt of the path and absently started to run her finger through it. She had long distrusted other humans, but the dai-yōkai had been different. She knew the moment that she laid eyes on his smooth, angular face, with its distinctive markings, that he harbored no injurious intent.

How she knew was anyone's guess, but it wasn't a conscious knowledge on her part, at least not back then. There had been something in his contemptuous gaze that spoke to her on a subconscious level, leading her to trust him inexplicably. Her instincts proved to be legitimate by his question of concern.

_"What happened to your face?"_

Rin blinked away the memory and glanced at what she'd scribbled in the dirt. Aunt had managed to teach her to write and cipher in between her constant rebukes, so her entire time in the village hadn't been spent badly. She smiled at the sandy characters of Sesshōmaru's name, recalling her childish dreams of rescue by him. She frowned and dragged her fingers through his name, obscuring it. "I was childishly nonsensical. You always keep your word."

Suddenly restless, she doubled her tabi socks, buttoned them, and carefully strapped on her sandals. "I'm going to prove you wrong, Lord Sesshōmaru. I'll keep my word just like I said I would."

Tying her sling-pack around her shoulders, she cautiously got to her feet. The sharp edge to the pain had diminished somewhat, but walking was still uncomfortable. She just wasn't used to extended travel like she'd once been. The muscles of her legs ached with every step, but she knew she wouldn't get her traveling legs unless she pushed through it. Sheer determination drove her to continue on; she had a goal and she was going to see it through.

"I'm going to find my Lord and give him a piece of my mind. Won't he be surprised?" She muttered quietly to herself, slowly making her way down the path. She had envisioned herself striding up in front of him and staring straight into his captivating golden eyes. She would go on to upbraid him for leaving her with that detestable creature he called a woman and demand an apology.

She snorted as she finally found an easy rhythm and started to become accustomed to the throb in her feet, knowing that to be a farce. She couldn't confront him anymore than she could snap her fingers and clear away her blisters. Rin knew herself better than that. When she finally saw him again, it would take all her discipline to abstain from seizing him in her arms.

And knowing Sesshōmaru, he would push her away. He had a strong aversion to emotional displays, especially when they involved him.

It discouraged her to know that she'd likely forgive him for any erroneous behavior towards her. She just couldn't help it, even if left her angry at herself. That's the way it had been and always would be, she mused. Rin knew it wasn’t right, that it would change nothing if she didn’t stand up for herself, but it wasn't in her nature to pursue conflict. She preferred to be lighthearted and free from emotional baggage.

Although, none of it would matter at all if she couldn’t find him.

Rin endured her grievous shuffle through yet another farming village, spending as little of her precious supply of money to feed herself. The small coins were rapidly disappearing. They would not last her much longer and she wasn't any closer to locating the elusive inu-yōkai than when she stole away from that unpleasant village. Rin chewed her somewhat stale rice cakes pensively; she knew spending time in villages did little to bring her closer to him. Sesshōmaru favored traversing through uncharted land, following only a path his feet seemed to follow. He was as unpredictable in that aspect as any other. She swiped a stray grain of rice from her lip apprehensively, knowing he could be hundreds of miles from her right now.

Pounding hooves had her looking up, the gentle zephyr sending the tied lock of ebony hair to brush across her face. Limping off to the side of the trail, she allowed the young warrior to ride past. Her curious eyes lingered on the red banner whipping on the wooden pole he was carrying. The significance of the color pressed down on her and she knew without a doubt that it meant something important.

She wracked her brain until it hurt, but that queer sensation of recognition never made itself known. It wouldn't come to her until it was ready and she was left waiting impatiently. The banner nagged at her brain for hours, hounding her memory through the rest of the morning and spanning into early afternoon.

It consumed her to the point she ignored her surroundings. Attacking her would have been effortless, even without the damage to her feet. She was just mindlessly strolling along the trail, eyes blank with deep thought. It was the same anytime she dedicated herself to a task, giving it her entire attention. Something flashed through her mind, though, something that had nothing to do with the banner, making her stop abruptly. Blinking her dry eyes, she glanced around. "Hello? Is someone there?"

The bushes to her right rustled and she stifled a scream of surprise. Backing away, Rin watched a young child step out and blink curiously at her. "Hello."

She swallowed and shook her head sheepishly. She noted his wide, innocent eyes beckoning to her. "What are you doing out here by yourself? It's not safe."

He looked around her. "You're alone."

"That's because..." She bit her lip. He was a perceptive little guy. "I'm an adult." She stepped toward him and knelt down in front of him. "Where are your parents?"

He gestured behind him. "My father left me here."

"He just left you here? Alone?" Rin frowned as she studied his serene features. His skin was light, almost chalky, and his small frame was draped with a dark blue kosode and steel gray hakama. A short katana was tucked into his belt. She was too accustomed to boys with long hair that his mop of close-cropped pale hair bewildered her. That, and the fact his eyes matched it perfectly. She spoke before she could stop herself. "Are you a yōkai?"

He gave her a shrewd smile. "My name is Akago."

Rin worried her lip until she was practically chewing it. There was something odd about this child. "I'm Rin." She stood back up and considered him prudently. "Where's your mother?"

"I don't have one."

He was still wearing that wily smile. It distressed her into a fit of cold shivers. He was only a small child. Why was she so jittery? "W-what," She took a deep breath. "What about the village? Do you live there?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

It felt like he was laughing at her, as if the idea of her being frightened by a ghostly child was superbly comical. Rin narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you dead? Are you some kind of eerie specter that's come to haunt me?"

He chuckled spookily. "No. I can assure you that I am alive, Rin." He held out a pallid hand. "Take my hand."

Rin froze. "What?"

"Please, take my hand." He implored her with a slightly mad gaze. "I don't want to walk to the next village alone."

She held her breath and stared at the puny limb like it was a harbinger of death. It was only the hand of a child. She shouldn't be in fear of her life at the thought of touching him. Her gut instinct had never failed her before. Why would she start to question it now? Clutching her hands together, she held them against her chest and moved away. "No."

His deranged features shifted instantaneously. The light eyes blanched bizarrely as thick tears sprang into them. He sobbed brokenly. "Please, don't leave me!"

Rin gawked at him. "Akago?"

He slumped down into the dirt, sending up a small puff of sand as he did so. "He said he didn't want me anymore." His watering eyes gazed up at her beseechingly. "He left me all alone. Please, don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!"

She started toward his crumpled form, but the hair of the back of her neck caught her. The apprehension was back. Rin felt her own tears well at the strength of his need. Shoving the feeling away, she ignored the protest of her feet and snatched him up from the ground. He was lighter than she expected, easily propping him up on her crossed arms so his legs hung on either side of her waist and his arms wrapped around her neck. He laid his head on her shoulder, coughing with the force of his sobs. She sniffed. "It's alright, Akago. I won't leave you. Please stop crying, I'm right here."

He made a soft mewling sound and clutched her tighter. Rin just held him until his breathing settled and he quieted. He was asleep before she knew it. She hefted him up a bit higher and started walking. Now that she was actually holding him, she couldn't comprehend her earlier fear. It was obvious that he was some kind of yōkai – no human had ever looked that way – but it didn't discourage the fact he was a child.

A child abandoned by his father.

Rin scowled at no one in particular. How could people live with themselves when they deserted their children? The logic behind the act, even for a yōkai, was completely inconceivable in her mind. It was literally impossible to understand. She meandered along the trail with the dozing boy held tightly against her. It had a feeling of rightness to it. The evening was surprisingly warm for mid-autumn and eased her thoughts to things she had never fancied before.

What would her children look like?

She never imagined herself as a mother before, but her maternal instincts had leapt up from their buried depths at the sight of a needy child. His tears had been the trigger to awaken them inside her and it was preposterous not to picture her own offspring. Gender was irrelevant to her; she had no preference. Rin smiled at the miniature versions of herself, but a fierce frown cast over her face the longer she watched them, knowing something was off with her imaginings.

She felt like slapping herself when she realized her silly mistake. Any of her supposed children would not only resemble her own attributes, but their father's as well. Suddenly, she was envisioning a young girl with hair the palest shade of blue that it was nearly white, and large, smiling toffee colored eyes. Her angelic grin was adorned by tiny pointed teeth and a pair of button-like ears on the top of her head. She looked just like _-_

Rin stopped so fast on her screaming feet that she almost tripped. She stared down at the increasingly darkening path. For the girl to look like Inuyasha meant her father would have to be... Rin shut her eyes tightly and sighed. "What am I thinking?"

"Exactly what I want you to."

Her entire body started to tingle and not in any pleasant way. She knew it was Akago speaking – she could feel the slight vibration in his chest – but the voice coming out of his throat was one that froze her with fear. What was he talking about? Why would his voice be different?

And why would she be thinking what  _he_  wanted? That couldn't possibly be true.

Rin tried to pull him away, but his arms and legs only squeezed tighter. "What are you doing, Akago? Let me go."

The warmth in the air dissipated as he laughed softly. "It is sad that you'll probably never get what you desire, but knowing you'll do anything to acquire it is enough for me." He leaned back far enough to stare into her stiffened face. "Father has big plans for you, my dear."

She tried vainly to scream, but her throat was shutting down. Rin shivered violently against the bombardment of frigid air on her exposed skin, panicking at how quickly the warmth left her. A sensation of insurmountable dread loomed to engulf her, and combined with the abrupt increase of weight on her chest, she wanted to die; nothing less could make it stop.

Pain flared in her feet, rocketing up her legs and buckling her knees. She crashed to the ground like a lifeless doll, arms flung out and legs bent awkwardly. Her skull pounded jarringly against the earth, shattering her vision into countless blurred shards. The long lashes of her lids fluttered wildly as she struggled to remain conscious. She attempted to inhale, but Akago's limbs were clenched too tightly, cutting off her attempts to scream.

"I'm sorry." Akago's wintry breath wafted over her neck. "No one can hear you if you don't speak up." He rubbed his icy cheek against her skin like a cat, drinking in her terror-induced convulsions. "It will only hurt for a second, I promise." Turning his head, he opened his mouth and sank his teeth into her flesh.

Rin's dulled senses raged to life as the paroxysm hit her. It felt like a stake was being driven into her throat, inch by thick inch. Her hips bucked up off the ground, fingers gouging into the dirt, and breaking past the clamp on her voice, she screamed. A poignant ache filled her neck as what can only be described as pure, unrestrained evil perforated her body. That, too, was sub-zero in its temperature and sent her into shrieking spasms. To any unfortunate bystanders – there were none – it appeared like she was very much in the final phase of her grotesque death throes.

Though seemingly involuntary, the violence of her reaction managed to force Akago away from her body. The paralysis vanished immediately and she knocked him aside. "Get away from me!"

He chortled as he got to his feet and dusted off his hakama. "Your will is very formidable, but you won't get away like that wench, Kagome. I too, am stronger."

Rin rolled over and scrambled back, huddling her limbs tight against herself and panting past the tangle of severe discomfort in the vicinity of her heart. "Wha...what," She groaned, clamping her eyes shut and releasing fat tears of anguish, "did you...do...to me?!"

Akago smiled at her with sincere joy. "Oh, this and that. The important thing for you to remember, Rin, is to give in." He strode over to her and grasped her sidelong ponytail, yanking her head up. "You will be a good pet, won't you, Rin?"

Her eyes riveted themselves on the blood painted on the yōkai-child's lips. The sight curdled her already fear churned stomach. The surge of rage shocked her, but she welcomed it whole- heartedly. Batting his hand away, she staggered to her now bleeding feet and glared at his patronizing face. She wanted to threaten him with the wrath of Lord Sesshōmaru, but her steadfast belief in him had waned. He had served her the most fundamental injustice a being could give another.

He simply had not cared.

The blatant disregard accomplished two things: demolishing her unyielding faith in his strength and humiliating her to the core. It was comprehension of this ignominy, more than her recent onslaught, which had her sobbing incoherently into her hands. Ignoring Akago, she whirled and bolted up the path.

Rin ran blindly, tripping repeatedly and breaking the falls with hands that soon went raw. She wheezed with every stride, growing more and more listless as she went. Dust caked on her wet cheeks in blackening streaks and she cried out when her knotted chest tightened. A rancorous laugh clouded her brain when she staggered to her left, wind-milling her arms as she teetered on the edge of a steep decline.

"Enjoy your trip, Rin."

The air whispered behind her and she felt what she thought to be hands against her back. And just as quickly, they shoved her into a headlong dive down the hill. Rin shrieked and covered her face, landing hard on her hips and rolling her way to the bottom of the rise. Rocks bruised her and branches tore at her vulnerable skin. The shabby kimono did little to protect her, shredding under the stress of her fall. A thick tree stump brought her flailing body to a harsh halt. Rin merely moaned, unable to absorb the shock to her body.

She was numb.

Curling into the fetal position, Rin stared at the blood welling on her arms vacantly. It was brilliantly red, just like the banner she’d seen earlier. A horrid cough vibrated her battered lungs and a curtain of darkness stalked her. For some odd reason, she thought of Inuyasha then, the glaring hue of his garb flitting through her mind. Rin's vision began to falter; her head swam, the ebony drapery slowly darkening her thoughts. Her imagined daughter had reminded her of him as well, as if that were important somehow…

Finally succumbing, she sagged into unconsciousness.

Akago grinned as he gazed down the hill at her broken, bleeding body. "Oh, Inuyasha..." He turned a maniacal gaze in the direction his new toy had come. "Something wicked this way comes." And as if he couldn't contain it for fear of bursting, he laughed with zealous derangement.


	16. Chapter 16

_“The human mind isn't a terribly logical or consistent place. Most people, given the choice to face a hideous or terrifying truth or to conveniently avoid it, choose the convenience and peace of normality. That doesn't make them strong or weak people, or good or bad people. It just makes them people.” ― Jim Butcher, Turn Coat_

* * *

_"_ _I never thought that being a coward would be one of them."_

Kagome jerked the needle through the stitch. That vicious little quip had been festering inside her for days now, and she had yet to release the hold it had on her. She pulled the thread taunt and dipped her hand to slide the needle into the torn fabric, pulling it shut. Her jaw clenched with frustration. At this point, she wasn’t even angry with Inuyasha anymore, even if he had not deigned to speak to her directly yet. Her hand stilled mid-swoop and dropped to rest on her thigh. She knew why she couldn’t let those words go, as even she could admit to the truth it them.

Sighing, she resumed mending his fire-rat haori. The initial reason she'd joined up with Inuyasha was rectify a mistake; fracturing the _Shikon no Tama_ had been unintentional, but it was her duty – passed down from Kikyō – to protect the jewel. That, in turn, led to meeting Miroku and his knowledge of a yōkai named Naraku. The search for shards and the hunt for Naraku eventually merged into a single quest, especially when Sango signed on. And while the yōkai had committed grievous atrocities to her new found friends, she, herself, had not been the victim of his malevolence. Instead, she sought him out to right the wrongs afflicting her dearest friends.

Although, the countless attempts on her life gave her reason enough to seek revenge by now – also a direct result of her link to Kikyō.

Kagome's deft hands stitched the tear closed and she held up the cloth to study her work critically. The repair was strong, flexible, and seamless. Slipping to her feet, Kagome carefully folded the fabric and held it tightly against her chest. She started away from the quiet niche she'd separated herself to and picked her way passed the small camp Sango and Miroku had set up for the duration. The couple was sitting side by side, Sango’s feet lying in his lap. Kagome vaguely noticed his hands massaging her limbs.

Her status as a coward was not something she associated with her inherited quest. Not once had she been hesitant to accompany her companions in a battle to the death; in many cases, it had been her hand that had been the deciding factor for their victory. They all trusted each other with their lives and that cognizance allowed them to fight without fear. Kagome smiled ruefully and lifted the crimson bundle to her nose, inhaling the heady, masculine redolence. Her restive nerves unwound and she smirked derisively. She may not have been afraid of violence or death, but when it came to matters of the heart…

Kagome clenched her fingers in Inuyasha's haori. She'd been too afraid to stand her ground and accept the trepidation that she might be rejected, jading her view of Inuyasha and the dynamic between them. She was so desperate for his love that her immature mind had been convinced it was impossible to take away from Kikyō.

It had made her doubt Inuyasha and the bond they shared, regardless of what kind of love existed between them; her selfishness knew no bounds.

"Kagome?"

"Huh?" The raven-haired girl jumped, startled out of her musings. "What?"

Sango gazed over at her quizzically. "Are you alright?"

Kagome jerked the red haori away from her face and laughed nervously. "Uh, why do you ask?"

"Because you look like your mind’s leagues away."

Her flustered grin faltered. "Oh, well..." She rubbed the cloth between her fingers, relishing the silken texture. "I’m just thinking."

"I'm sure you are." Sango pulled away from her silent husband and stood up. She stepped up beside Kagome with a sisterly smile. "About Inuyasha, right?"

Kagome met her vivid violet eyes shyly. "Guilty as charged."

"That's to be expected," Sango gripped her hand reassuringly around her friend's, "with what happened and all." She tipped her head with concern. "Is that still bothering you a lot?"

Kagome sighed. "Unfortunately. I guess not all things change with time."

Sango snorted softly. "Yes, you two are still the most stubborn people I know.”

“I just didn’t expect him to be so,” Kagome groped around for a word, “vicious.” She wrung her hand in Inuyasha’s haori. “And you all got to see it.”

The yōkai-taijiya looked pained. "If I had any idea how bad it was going to be, I swear I would've stopped him."

"And I would've stopped  _you._ "

Sango turned and frowned at the monk. "Why?"

Kagome eyed him carefully. "You think I deserved it? Inuyasha seems contrite enough, even if he won’t talk to me."

Miroku continued to sit serenely under his wife’s glare. "I never said I agreed with his methods, but I believe Inuyasha was justified in his feelings."

Sango was outraged. "How can you say that?"

Kagome gripped her shoulder. "It’s okay, Sango. Don't be angry with Miroku. I agree with at least part of what he's saying."

The other woman, crossed her arms with a huff. "Enlighten me, then."

"Inuyasha was deeply pained when Kagome left to her own time and refused to return until it was absolutely necessary." Miroku opened his dark, gray-blue eyes, staring straight at Kagome. "And what does Inuyasha do when he's hurt or vulnerable?"

His curt tone had Kagome hanging her head with shame. "He lashes out."

Sango watched her friend helplessly hug a bundle of cloth. She had no idea what to do for her and Miroku's words needled her. Darting flat eyes to his, she lifted an unamused brow. "I don't care if you understand, but don't you  _dare_ take a vituperate tone with her. I may have done the same thing if I was in her position, and it  _still_  doesn't excuse the fact that he was needlessly cruel."

"I was just stating that Inuyasha wasn't wrong to let her understand how he's felt all this time, even if he was overzealous." He used his Shakujō to help himself up.

"I have to make this right." Kagome gazed at them with burning umber eyes.

Sango slipped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "You will. You two always do." She pulled back and brushed Kagome’s bands aside, cradling her face gently in her hands. "Everyone makes mistakes, especially in matters of the heart, but it doesn’t mean it can’t get better.” She smiled warmly at her. "You love him, right?"

Kagome nodded tearfully. "Yes."

"Then it’ll work out." She set her away, hands gripping her slim shoulders supportively. "You both care deeply for each other and I don’t either of you want to lose that."

Kagome laughed, sniffing back her watering eyes. "You're one of a kind, Sango. I'd be lost without you."

Miroku watched the exchange with a bemused smile. Kagome wasn’t usually so bleak and discouraged – or Sango so vehement, for that matter. Normally it was the other way around, but it was nice to see how they had rubbed off on one another. He stood, holding out his hand. "Kagome, I-"

Sango turned her infamous glare at him, effectively moving him back a few steps. "Yes, Miroku?"

The monk bravely sidled close enough to grasp each of their elbows. "I didn't mean to upset either of you."

His wife scowled. "I don’t care that you had a point, Miroku. I’m still annoyed with you."

Kagome flicked her gaze between them. "I don't want to cause tension between you two."

"Oh no, Kagome." Sango shook her head. "My being bothered by his interjection of his opinion when I didn’t ask for it has nothing to do with your situation. I’m aware how we feel about your situation is directly related to how we’re both women and they’re both men. It’s inevitable that we would both understand because of our perspectives, but butting in when I was trying to be supportive was uncalled for.”

Miroku sighed. "You don't have to worry about me, Kagome."

Kagome blew out a weighted breath. "I can't help it." She stared at the haori knotted in her grip. "It bothers me when people are hurting, especially ones I care about." Her voice went soft and murmured. "It's so laughable."

He frowned. "What is?"

"I hate conflict and yet I’m so drawn to fighting.” Her refined features were drawn tight with acrid insight. "It’s hypocritical."

Sango gazed at the two of them. "Just because you stand up for things doesn’t mean you’re promoting contention." She leaned her head back, hair flowing loose behind her as she watched the clouds. "Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive."

"I feel similarly, Kagome, but sometimes it isn't always feasible." Miroku shifted his Shakujō, tinkling the rings.

Kagome waved a hand at him. "Stop, already. I told you I'm not angry with you. I realize, logically, that arguing or debating is necessary at times, but I don’t ever have to enjoy it. I even understand that Inuyasha was right about some of what he said."

"You're not a coward, Kagome." Sango snatched the priestess's hand, haori included. "You're the most honest and courageous person I know."

Kagome bit her lip. "Not when it comes to Inuyasha."

Sango’s elegant brows furrowed and Miroku stepped closer. "What do you mean?"

She laughed tensely. "I won't go into any details, sorry, but I didn't allow him the chance to stop me from leaving. I was scared it would be too painful to bear staying if I didn’t get what I wanted." She shrugged. "I was sure that all my feelings were one-sided."

"Why admit this now?"

Kagome looked over at Miroku exasperatedly. "The bit about me being a coward was right on the mark."

"How so?"

She opened her mouth, but pursed her lips when nothing to come out. "I don't know where to start."

Sango grasped her elbow and steered her to the log she'd shared with Miroku earlier. "I have a question first."

Kagome grimaced as Sango tugged on her arm, pulling her down next to her. "My shoulder..."

"Oh," Sango gasped. "I'm so sorry! I totally forgot about that."

"So did I." Miroku scratched his Kazaana absently. "You seemed so able that it slipped my mind that you're still injured."

"Relax, it only aches when I stretch the muscles. I'm fine." She turned back to Sango. "You had a question?"

She nodded. "Why not tell Inuyasha all this?"

"Therein lies the irony." Kagome snorted softly. "The real reason I was out in the woods the other day was so I could figure out what to say. My thoughts and feelings were all jumbled together and I needed to clear my head. I was still trying to fully comprehend why I ran when Inuyasha called me out on it."

"Kagome, five years have gone by." The monk settled down next to his wife. "Surely you're not just confronting these emotions now?"

"How much of your respect would I lose if I told you I tried to smother them first?"

* * *

Inuyasha watched Shippō bounce around on the back of Kagome's horse as he raced Kirara. The enormous cat flew alongside the duo, flames rippling from her charcoal black paws. The kit was laughing excitedly, urging on the seemingly tireless warhorse – he thought the creature was absolutely useless, but Shippō found him to be highly amusing. He snorted and rested his head back against the tree's trunk, ignoring the small voice inside him that lamented Shippō’s ability to find anything entertaining.

Although, an hour ago he wouldn't have said the fox-yōkai was incapable of even a sarcastic comment.

During their daily sparring session, Shippō had worn the same mask of seriousness he'd expressed in each of the days prior. Nothing Inuyasha did or said influenced it to change, except maybe to grimace when he was bested – which was quickly becoming less and less often. As he progressed, Inuyasha found himself torn between his pride and his disappointment. Shippō was proving himself to be a very sharp and apt pupil, but neither one of them was enjoying themselves anymore. In the past, he may have been disinclined to admit it, but he thoroughly enjoyed the teasing banter between them.

Shippō had revoked that privilege the second he'd ordered him away from Kagome and he had only compounded the kit's disappointment further by mercilessly degrading her in front of his eyes. He would probably never call her by that title, but Shippō had witnessed his mother figure being crushed by his esteemed mentor and teacher. Inuyasha could hardly blame him for it. He knew those stinging emotions well; his mother had been the subject of horrible ridicule, though he would never stoop so low as to call Kagome a whore.

To Shippō, he might as well have.

Scrubbing his clawed hands over his face, he sat up and swung around so his legs dangled off the stout branch he'd chosen to nap on. Gazing down at the frolicking trio, he smiled grimly, no more pleasing with the situation than anyone else. Inuyasha pushed himself off the branch and dropped noiselessly to the ground. The sun was moving past early afternoon and on into the evening. He needed to get back to the camp if he wanted to get going again; instead of the usual dawn-until-dusk routine, they had decided to have breaks at noon in between two longer treks – it had been his idea and the others just agreed without comment, which was just as well.

No one had been speaking to him at the time.

Miroku had been the first to warm back up to him and with the monk's urging, Sango had grudgingly joined in. Shippō had followed close behind with varying clipped versions of “yes, sir.” The one that still adamantly refused to utter a single syllable to him was Kagome and she was justified in her actions, and by the venomous looks she gifted him with the day they set out, he was baffled as to why he wasn't nursing a busted nose. His behavior should have earned nearly one hundred 'sit' commands in the Kagome-of-old's book, but he found himself surprisingly unscathed. It made him wonder if she was hiding something much more sinister up her sleeve.

His ears flicked absentmindedly as he yawned, stretching his arms above his head and delighting in the burning tingle of his sleepy muscles. Stepping back onto the meandering trail, he headed back towards the tension-laden camp. He didn't bother to alert Kirara or Shippō, one of them would eventually notice his absence and return to the camp. Strolling along, he made his way back up the hillside and gazed down into the grove where the others were resting.

Cresting the hill, Inuyasha caught sight of the three of them deep in conversation – it was obvious he was the topic of conversation. His eyesight was razor sharp and he used it to observe Kagome. Her thick black hair was once again constrained in its long braid and she was dressed even more bizarrely than he'd even seen before. The white haori Kaede had given her had been ruined by the bloodstains, but Kagome hadn't wanted it to be discarded. Instead, she removed the stained right half and replaced it with the leftover excess from Sango's last payment as a yōkai-taijiya: a brilliant, red kimono. In only a few hours, the priestess had created a two-tone haori of bright crimson and white.

It wasn't really the haori that bothered him, but what she wore below the waist. She had refused to wear the hakama and asked for a pair of leggings instead. Sango gave her a pair in black and Kagome had emerged from her room in her custom-made haori, tied up around her waist, and what he knew she called 'jeans' over the leggings. Due to their shredded nature, the torn denim flashed black through every rip and tear, the combination was so snug it seemed as though they were painted on her long, elegant legs. The effect was subtle, naturally drawing his eye and making him fervently wish for the skirt she'd sported years earlier; by hiding what he wanted to see, it made him only desire it more.

A swift wind pelted him as he stood at the top of the hill and pervaded the thin material of his kosode. He glanced down in surprise when he shivered, remembering that he'd given his haori to Kagome before he'd left. Returning his golden gaze to the girl below, he watched her wring the fire-rat cloth in her hands as Sango dragged her towards a log. He'd been almost positive she would've said something the way she'd stormed up to him the moment they halted for the noon camp. Her face had been set and he had merely blinked into her stern features with surprise – at least until she hooked one long finger into his torn haori and he realized she was making good on her word to repair it.

Watching her walk away silently, he knew he could expect nothing less from his Kagome.

Inuyasha reached up and scratched his right ear at that possessive slip. He watched her bundle his jacket against her chest and sit down beside Sango. Inuyasha started down the hill without consciously knowing it, catching her scent on the wind the closer he got. She looked like his Kagome and she certainly smelled like her, but was she really  _his_? And if she had been before, was she still his after what he'd done to her? He came to a standstill next to a large tree on the outskirts of the camp when his keen hearing caught their conversation.

"...not tell Inuyasha all this?"

"Therein lies the irony. The real reason I was out in the woods was so I could figure out what to say. My thoughts and feelings were all jumbled together and I needed to clear my head. I was still trying to fully comprehend why I ran when Inuyasha called me out on it."

"But Kagome, five years have gone by. Surely you're not just confronting these emotions now?"

Inuyasha ducked against the tree trunk and nodded in agreement with Miroku's question.

"How much of your respect would I lose if I told you I tried to smother them first?"

Sango sounded confused. "Smother them?"

"Yeah. I tried to bury them deep inside a box and lock them away. What I was feeling was intense and intimidating and frankly terrifying." Her voice was quiet in the breeze.

Miroku smiled in response. "That's what love will do to you."

"It wasn't just love!"

Kagome's heated outburst had them all jumping, including the hanyō eavesdropping behind the tree. Sango touched her arm tentatively. "Kagome..."

The priestess shot off the log and started to pace. "Of course love was one of them, but if I'm going to be totally honest, so was the fear and self-pity." She slapped her thigh with irritation. "I pitied myself because I was envious of Kikyō. I hated myself for feeling like that, and I cursed the way I felt for Inuyasha because it was the cause, even if it wasn't his fault."

Inuyasha held up his hands and stared at them, realizing he wasn’t the only person to ever experience both love and, maybe not hate, but dislike for the same person. Instead of growling his frustration aloud, he clenched his hands into tense fists.

"That's why," she continued, "I decided to leave. I thought that if I got away from it for a while, the step back would let sort through it all without the pressure." Her voice softened to a whisper he could barely hear. "But the weight of them didn't ease. If anything, they got worse and I reached the point where I just couldn’t bear them anymore."

Miroku decided to ask the question all of them were thinking. "What did you do?"

Kagome spoke thoughtfully. "At first I stayed as far away from things that reminded me of him, like the Goshinboku." She laughed harshly. "Just glancing at it could make me cry for hours." Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath. "I immersed myself in school work and training. The work load kept me too busy and too tired to even briefly think about all my issues."

"I don't see how that's so bad." Sango looked over at Miroku, who just nodded in agreement.

"Oh, believe me. It gets worse."

Inuyasha's ears twitched as her hiking boots shuffled through the dirt and it sounded like she was coming right at him. Pressing himself tightly against the tree, he held his breath and waited. He wasn't entirely sure what was making him hide from her, but he was willing to bet it had something to do with what she was about to confess.

As if she were some kind of criminal, or something.

He scowled as she flopped against the opposite side of his tree and sighed. The sun had sunk low enough in the sky to cast her shadow across the path adjacent the tree. Her profile was down-turned, like she was staring at the ground, and her right foot was propped against the tree so her leg was bent. She was rolling his haori in her hands nervously.

"Well, we haven’t left yet, so why not just tell us?"

Kagome snorted. "You're such a gossip, Miroku. You put my friends back home to shame."

He sputtered. "I...well, I...I was just..."

Sango elbowed him in the side and chuckled. "Overeager snoop."

Inuyasha could hear the smile in Kagome's voice. "It's alright. I don't mind really, and I guess it would be better to tell you two now. It’ll give me a chance to do a trial run before admitting it to Inuyasha,” she huffed, “if I even make it that far. I’m afraid he won’t want anything to do with me."

The hanyō flattened against the tree and tried to suppress the mad racing of his heart. The apprehension suffocating him had him pressing his eyes shut in agreement. Kagome knew he rather well, even with their distance, and she was usually right about these kinds of things. He should leave, and yet he found himself rooted in place and cursing the gods for it. Deep down there was a very small masochistic side of him that couldn't leave without hearing what she had to say. It had him straining to catch every single nuance of sound coming from the camp. All he could do was hold his breath.

Kagome released a resigned sigh. "Eventually, all that work slowed down and those dark thoughts came back. For as long as I've known Inuyasha, there was a guy back home that was never shy about letting me know how he felt about me. I ignored him awhile, until one day I was struggling so much that I practically threw myself at him in attempt to escape it all."

Sango sounded bleak. "Escape what?"

Kagome ignored her. "He was always inviting me places, so I finally took on his offer."

Miroku frowned. "But Kagome, you didn't...oh, boy." He leapt up to his feet, face stricken.

"What? Miroku, what's-" Kagome shot away from the tree at the sound of rustling cloth and reeled to face one silver-haired, dog-eared hanyō. "Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha stepped out from where he'd concealed himself, the rolled-up sleeves of his kosode exposing the jumping muscles of his corded forearms. His head was tilted forward, hiding his eyes, and giving her a bird's eye view of his rage-flattened ears. She could visibly see him shaking and knew he wasn't in control of himself like the last time. She jumped when he spoke, grinding the words out from between clenched teeth. "You never answered Sango." He lifted his head, amber eyes flashing painfully. "What exactly were you trying to run away from?"


	17. Chapter 17

_“We often confuse what we wish for with what is.” – Neil Gaiman, MirrorMask_

* * *

 

She was frozen.

There were a million words dancing on her tongue, all screaming themselves in her mind to be spoken, but nothing came out of her mouth. She just stood there staring at him, knowing he was waiting for her to answer him and remaining unresponsive. Here she was, meeting his heavy gaze with her full attention, yet at the same time stubbornly refusing to give him the answer he deserved. It appeared as though she was defying him, which just wasn't the case.

She was still coming to terms with the fact that he'd heard each and every bit of her shameful confession.

What was really pestering her was her lack of emotional response. At this very moment in time, she was devoid of feeling; there was no wrath or despondency lurking to devour her because one of her biggest apprehensions had come to pass. Kagome watched his scowl carve itself deeper into his scuffed and rugged features, and brazenly smiled, an intangible weight lifting from her shoulders.

That smile, however, wasn't received quite as well by the hanyō glaring at her from across the path. "This must all be some big game to you. You're no better than that bastard, Naraku."

Kagome heard him, understood the significance of his insult, but she continued to smile. She'd expected absolute mortification and perhaps some intense compunction, but not the giddy relief drawing the tension out of her body. Of course she still regretted it all, but knowing that he knew left her immensely allayed, rampant anxiety dissolving. Her smile lasted until Inuyasha straightened up and surveyed her calmly.

He rested his fists on his hips, tilting Tessaiga's hilt forward with his thumb. "You know what, Kagome?" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and shrugged. "I don't have time for all this bullshit. I have a yōkai to kill." Pivoting on his bare heel, he dashed off.

It took watching him vanish into the woods to snap her out of her stupor. It also managed to click something within her – something that had once been unwavering and grown malleable over time; Kagome felt her resolve solidify and knew she had to act fast. She slipped her thumb and index finger of her right hand into her mouth and whistled shrilly. With an abrupt about-face, she blew out a fortifying breath at Sango and Miroku's matched expressions of concern. "I really could have used a hit from either of those weapons you're so fond of bashing people over the head with." She darted past them and slung her quiver over her shoulder, grasping the bow snugly in her hand.

Sango sidled up to her, eyes staring hugely at the rosewood bow. "You're not planning on shooting him, are you?"

Kagome chuckled a bit madly. "Oh, no. I don't plan on turning Inuyasha into a hanyō-pin cushion."

Miroku frowned, confused. "Then what are you doing?"

Kagome gently folded the fire-rat haori and tucked it into the quiver. "I'm setting this straight, once and for all. We'll never amount to much good against Naraku if we're not at least on civil terms." She looked around impatiently. "C'mon, what's taking so long? He'll be miles away by now!"

As if on cue, the sound of thundering hooves rapidly increased, vibrating the ground under their feet. Kirara was the first to appear, soaring up over the hilltop serenely. It made a sharp contrast to the rushing steed below her and the squalling kit clinging to its back. The entire effect was comical and despite their serious moods, each one of them was stifling grins of entertainment.

Kagome stepped into Shunsoku's path and held up her hands. "Easy, boy! Easy!" The animal perked at the sight of her and skidded to a stop in a cloud of dust. Kagome latched onto his bridle and began to pry the kitsune from his death-grip on the horse's mane. "Let go, Shippō. It's alright now. He's stopped."

Shippō lifted his head and blinked dizzy green eyes. "Thank goodness. I thought I was a goner."

Shunsoku tossed his head and pranced impatiently, sensing the urgency in his master. He grunted against the tight hold Kagome had on his face. Kagome jerked Shippō off and plopped him in the dirt. "Sorry, Shippō." She fisted the reins and a hank of the dapple gray's mane, following his pivoting hindquarters with small hops.

"Don't you need your saddle?"

Kagome used the momentum of Shunsoku's spin to help her pull herself up, bad shoulder and all, springing off the ground and straddling his broad, mottled back. She took hold of the reins and asserted a semblance of control on the high-strung animal, glancing at Miroku. "Nope."

Sango scooped up the dazed kit before he was accidentally trampled. "When will you be back?"

Kagome directed Shunsoku into a tight circle to keep him occupied. "I don't know. You guys should go on ahead and we'll catch up to you." She smiled at them. "See you soon." Leading the coiled-spring of a horse, his tail swishing in anticipation of her cue, and pointing him in Inuyasha's direction, Kagome released her hold on his mouth and gigged him with her heels. "Hyah!"

Miroku watched as the horse exploded from a standstill, blazing a path over the grass like a bolt of lightning had been shot under his tail. He held his chin in thought. "Did you notice as well, Sango, that she said 'we'?"

She nodded as she stroked her long fingers along Kirara's enormous head. "Yes."

"Do you think she'll be able to get him to come back?"

Sango set the groggy kit on the feline's withers. "It sounded to me like he's coming back regardless."

The monk watched the quickly dimming speck that was Kagome. "I think I'll have to agree, and with an animal like that, I'm sure she'll catch him soon. Shunsoku seems to be unnaturally fast."

Shippō squirmed away from Sango's supporting hands and tried to sit up. He only accomplished sprawling backwards onto Kirara's back like a rag doll. "You got that right."

* * *

He had no clue where he was going, but he was definitely on his way somewhere. He was only consciously aware of the fact he was running through the dense woods and that was all he could do to ignore the incessant whining of his inu-yōkai. He hated when it did that; it always reminded him of when he had cried as a pup after his mother's death – back then he'd cried almost every day when the sun finally set and left him alone in the dark.

What was happening now had nothing to do with his mother, but she slid through his mind anyway. Inuyasha grabbed his head in frustration, narrowly avoided colliding with a tree, and slowed his step.

_"...threw myself at him an attempt to escape it all."_

His eyes squinted in concentration as he sifted through all the names and faces he'd met over the years. He was willing to bet that the one she was referring to was the bumbling fool always bringing her gifts. He began growling without even realizing it, egged on by the dog pacing deep within him. "What the hell was she thinking to even consider that pansy ass son of a bitch? A dope like that couldn't possibly be able to take care of her." By now he was no longer sprinting through the trees, but marching through the foliage as if on his way into battle. "Kagome's too much for him to handle anyway. It's no wonder she came back."

His dog gave him a very hyena-like, laughing bark in response.

Inuyasha finally stopped moving. "You're right. She came back to fight Naraku. That's the only reason."

"You're wrong."

He whipped around and came face to face with Shunsoku, the horse from hell. Looking up, he met Kagome's staid eyes with fulsome ones of his own. She shouldn't have been able to catch him so off guard; he was spending way too much time canoodling around inside his brain. Glaring at the pair, he tasted the bitterness welling up out of his throat like acid. Emotions he didn't want to contemplate had his dog howling and that was something he wasn't in the mood for. He stared at her before giving her a feral smirk and high-tailing it.

Kagome's mouth dropped. "Inuyasha!" Being snubbed had not been on her list of expectations and she was suddenly furious – fulminatory anger and profound hurt, sure, but not that kind of cheeky rebuke he'd given just now. She knew he knew damn well that she intended to make amends and the imbecile had the nerve to mock her? Shaking with rage, she jabbed her heels into Shunsoku's flanks and gave chase. "You want to play games, Dog Boy? Fine by me!"

Her thighs started to burn immediately; it had been a rough ride to catch up with Inuyasha to begin with and she doubted he was going to go easy on her. It had been a long time since she'd last ridden a galloping horse bareback, and never for such an extended length of time. She thought of all the Western films she had watched at her grandfather’s side with riders that made the feat appear so easy; they always made it seem so effortless, when she knew it took rigorous training. She  _was_ benefited by Shunsoku's smooth stride, but the terrain was horrendous, and it took all her fine muscle control to stay balanced on the snapping muscles of his back.

Shutting out the discomfort, she focused her attention on steering him through the tightly woven trees. It was easier than it sounded – as long as she kept her eye on the fleeing hanyō, Shunsoku followed her line of sight instinctively. Inuyasha was deliberately making it hard on her, aiming to find every rut and ditch in the entire forest. The small leaping and hopping adjustments Shunsoku had to make to compensate were troubling to stay with, but Kagome was determined to catch Inuyasha.

She blocked out the tightening of her shoulder as she shortened her reins, leaning forward and pressing her hands into his neck. Holding the reins and her bow was a challenge, her sweat making her grip slick. Kagome ignored that too; there were more important things for her to worry about – like the fallen tree blocking their path up ahead. It wasn't a small tree either, close to three feet high by her estimation. The height wasn't an issue for her – she'd ridden over higher fences – but she wasn't sure what Shunsoku would do. As the log loomed closer, she started to back him off with massaging pulls of the reins. "We'll have to go around, Shunsoku."

Her horse, however, was of a different mind. He locked his jaw around the bit and barreled down to the log. Kagome felt her body tense and held her breath. She readied herself for an abrupt stop, but Shunsoku was honest and bold as he leaped. Kagome locked her legs against his sweaty hide and held on as best she could. His trajectory was flatter than she expected, rocketing him across the log rather than up and over it.

The experience was exhilarating, at least until she saw the drop on the other side. Kagome felt Shunsoku reach to land and sat up, letting the reins slide through her fingers to stop from painfully cutting into his mouth as he stretched his head down to balance the fall. He stumbled as he started away, pitching her forward onto his neck. She clung to him desperately when her muscles started to fatigue. Kagome forced herself back up, snatched back her reins and tugged him into a settled gait. The trees had thinned out into a small clearing and as Shunsoku cantered out into the chest-high grass, Kagome tried something she'd never done before.

She dropped the reins on the running horse's neck and raised her bow.

Inuyasha had slowed to see if she was serious about coming after him. He had been sure the log would've been too much, but once again she'd proven him wrong. He had no clue she was so skilled, or that her horse was so bold. His heart had jumped into his throat when the hell horse stumbled, nearly tossing her off its back. The wave of panic disappeared when she sat up, her face etched with fierce determination to catch him.

Inuyasha took that as his cue to skedaddle.

Kagome saw him turn and jerked an arrow from her quiver, squeezing painful tears out of her eyes as she used every last bit of her strength to stay on the horse's back. Her shoulder shrieked with fiery pain when she set the arrow and pulled back the string. Glaring at the retreating hanyō, she let it fly. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha's inu-yōkai had him reeling to face her, flashing back to the shout that had preceded his unfortunate fifty-year slumber. Only this time, the arrow missed its mark, sinking into the tree trunk not three inches from his head. The sight of it wagging made him dart his wary gaze to the girl tumbling off the suddenly still horse. She vanished into the tall grass with a dull thud.

Inuyasha jumped into motion. "Kagome?"

The girl in question lay curled in a ball, her quiver digging painfully into her back. The muscles in all four of her limbs were trembling with exhaustion, but her shoulder was the worst, locked tight in spasm. Kicking her feet until she could coordinate them enough to push her along, she used her good arm to sit up. Shunsoku blew loudly out of his flaring nostrils as the hanyō approached and she slapped a hand through the grass at him. "Knock it off."

"Kagome?"

"I'm alright, Inuyasha. Just let me sit here for a minute until the pain goes away."

He stared down at her with utter disbelief. "You are absolutely fucking insane."

She granted him a brilliant smile. "Am I?"

"Yeah, a bona fide whacko." His restless energy got the better of him and he started to wade a path in the rippling grass. "Did you have fun putting yourself through all that shit?"

Kagome hesitated a moment before answering, not entirely positive what 'shit' he was referring to. Judging from the lack of intensity in his indignant expression, she ventured to guess he meant her cavalry charge. "Yes, I did." She nodded and then gave a lopsided shrug. "In an adrenaline junkie sorta way, of course." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the log's direction. "I've done stuff like that before."

"Keh. Why?"

"Well, I..." She'd never really thought about it before. "Subconsciously, I guess there just wasn't enough danger in my normal life, so I went out and found it."

"You can be so fucking stupid."

Kagome followed him with her eyes as he paced back and forth. For once she didn't find herself itching to stop him, content to let him walk off both of their frustration. Inuyasha was an inherent fidget, so the oddly frantic therapy was just something he did to relieve stress. His behavior seemed amplified though, and she sighed. She could see his mouth moving, mumbling under his breath, and decided to bring the silence to an end.

"Inuyasha, why did you avoid Kikyō?"

The hanyō's even stride fumbled as he queried her with his face. "What?"

"I know your little dog ears heard me."

He grumbled. "You want to know why I avoided Kikyō. Fine." He was clueless as to why she was bringing the undead priestess in the mix; Kikyō only made things between them more complicated. "Every time I saw her face, I saw you crying and spouting some 'in time' bullshit that I  _still_  don't fucking understand."

"Being reminded of me made you angry." Kagome nodded in total agreement.

"Well, gee-fucking-whiz! I wonder why that is?"

She pursed her lips. "Don't get pissy. I'm trying to be serious."

"So am I!" He bent over to snarl in her face. "I was completely willing to kill her a second time...for real."

Kagome thought about Kikyō's behavior nearly two weeks ago. The venom in the priestess's expression was incomparable to anything she'd ever experienced before, even Naraku. "No wonder she tried to kill me." She yelped as Inuyasha hoisted her up off the ground. Her head rolled back, eyes pinched shut with discomfort, as she groaned. "Watch it!"

He gave her a gentle shake. "Shut your trap and tell me who tried to snuff you."

She wormed out of his grip, rolling and massaging her shoulder. "Don’t play dumb, Inuyasha. It does your intelligence no credit."

His eyes stared at her unmoved. "Finished?" Inuyasha smirked when she crossed her arms and huffed. Somehow it didn't seem odd to him at all that he wasn't on the verge of a catastrophic eruption – he was light-years away from jumping for joy though, finding it more practical to suffer through it her pointy little barbs. He watched as she struggled to ease the throbbing of her wound and reached out to softly grasp her shoulders. Turning her to face away, he worked his hand against the knot. "So when did she attack you?"

Kagome's chin dropped to rest against her collarbone, chewing her lower lip. "About twen-ah, twenty minutes after I got back-ow, here." Inuyasha's hands stilled on her haori and she frowned. "I think she was waiting for me."

"How?"

She spun around wagging the Sacred Jewel shard between her fingers. "This," she shifted her hand in a wishy-washy gesture, "and possibly the fact that we share a soul." Her fingers suddenly tightened into a fist. "Inuyasha, you must understand that Kikyō and I are two different people."

"As you've reiterated that to me a million fucking times."

"Yet you still don’t seem to get it. You see two different faces, smell two different scents, and hear two different voices. Underneath the exteriors, we're essentially the same in your mind. You've always expected me to be like her... _before_." She dropped her eyes to his throat, where the charmed beads hung. "When you still loved her."

"What the fuck are you babbling about?" He cracked his knuckles involuntarily as he saw her fingers twitch around the jewel. "You have always been Kagome to me. Nobody else."

Kagome brushed past him abruptly, her face a doleful mask. "I'm going to tell you some things that you'll most likely scoff at." Her quivering legs were reluctant to obey her, causing her to stumble repeatedly. She shook her head vainly and continued her slow trudge. "You're not going to like what I have to say, but maybe it'll help you understand."

Inuyasha wanted to strangle her at the moment, with that vague segue. He started to growl in earnest as he thought back to her monologue earlier. "Understand what?"

She paused at the foot of the tree sporting her arrow. Kagome latched onto it and pulled it free. "Why I was afraid to tell you about my behavior while I was away."

He couldn't hold off his bristling reflex; just as with Kōga, his inu-yōkai regarded any other male as a rival, even if the one in question was only relevant in the past tense. He shook it off. "Alright, tell me."

Kagome gave him a grateful smile and held up the arrow to assure its straightness; it was, so she dropped it back into her quiver. "With all the stories from Kaede and the villagers, and my own, personal experiences with her, I understand how pure Kikyō was. She was the epitome of what a priestess is, in all aspects. She was entirely self- sacrificing, for anyone and everyone." She sighed. "Then I showed up and was expected to fill every nook and cranny of her incredibly large shoes. I had to somehow replace perfection with my flaws."

"Kikyō had flaws." He followed her path through the grass and stood alongside her.

"I'm talking about the Kikyō before Naraku, the one that healed the most corrupted soul in existence and bore him no grudge." She grasped her bow with both hands with white knuckles. "I would've left him to die, and I would've given up my duty for love." She met his assessing golden eyes. "I bet you figured I'd be diligent like her."

Inuyasha saw how upset she was getting, knew she didn't know her face was getting flushed with emotion, and gave into his temptation. His claws brushed against her hair and he ran his hand down her silken braid, curling the tail around his fingers. "No."

"Liar." She smirked, but it was fleeting. Glancing at the object in her hand, she offered it to his gaze. "The first time you compared me to her was with this. We were chasing down that crow yōkai and you wanted me to shoot it down. I couldn't do it because I'd never shot an arrow in my entire life, but you expected me to be a master like Kikyō."

He  _did_  remember that, but he shrugged. "That was one time."

"Perhaps, but at the time it didn't bother me because I didn't care so much what you thought of me. That changed over time too, mostly after I found myself facing Kikyō for real. I was suddenly an abysmal archer and an unreliable spiritual power with absolutely no knowledge of yōkai or the jewel I'm supposed to be protecting."

Kagome’s breath was starting to quicken and he wanted to spare her another attack. He slid the hand holding her braid over to grasp her shoulders as he easily scooped her up bridal-style. This time she didn't protest, just leaned her head against his arm as she sagged with exhaustion. "Why don't we catch up with the others? I know you have more to say, but it's getting dark. I don't want to leave the others alone."

"You already know what I'm going to say." She raised her empty right hand to wrap around one of the locks of silver hair that hung from his head. It made him look down at her with a brooding expression. "Don't you?"

He broke eye contact with her and looked over at her horse. He didn't know  _exactly_ , but he figured he was pretty darn close. Swimming somewhere deep in his subconscious was the knowledge he didn't want to accept, the knowledge that said, quite possibly, that  _he_  was to blame for her departure. He pulled her closer and rested his chin on the crown of her head when she pressed herself tighter to his chest. "I get the gist. Is that a good enough answer to get you to be quiet?"

Kagome smiled at how his usual brash speech had grown so gentle. It was obvious he grasped the fact that there was baggage between them, but wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. She felt the conflict swirling in his aura and gave his hair a soft tug. "Only if you promise to come to me when you're ready and that we'll be civil in the interim."

He gave her a squeeze of agreement. "I'm not mad anymore. I can't stay mad at you when I'm really angry with myself."

"Inuyasha..." She brushed his cheek with her knuckles.

"I'm not finished. I promise that I won't do what I did to you again. I shouldn't be attacking one of the few allies I have left."

Dropping her bow, Kagome wrapped both arms around his neck and sat up in his arms. Freeing one hand, she grasped his chin and pulled his scowling countenance until he was staring down at her with puzzlement. She blinked softly and easily leaned up to press her lips against his. She resisted her gut-clench reaction to pull back when he stiffened, continuing to gently kiss him. Her heart beat wildly, waiting for him to respond and swelled happily when he finally did.

It was even better than he remembered and twice as sweet as he'd experienced in his dreams. His arm curled tighter around her shoulders as he let her feet drop to the ground, making sure he didn't break contact for an instant. Pressing back against her pliant lips, he ran his tongue along her lower lip and she instantly opened up to him. His eyes snapped open with surprise as she boldly stood up on her tiptoes to push back and adventurously sank into his mouth. Smirking slightly, he followed suit and reveled in the sweet flavor of her mouth. Their tongues played back and forth until she drew hers along his teeth, finally pulling back to breathe.

His eyes watched her closely. "What was that for?"

Kagome grinned stupidly. "Apology accepted."

The wind tousled his hair as he began to speak, and brought with it a smell that snapped his back straight and him pulling her painfully tight into his embrace. "Shit."

She knew there was something had changed, and judging by his reaction, it wasn't a good thing. "What is it, Inuyasha? What do you smell?" Her euphoria was now drowning with dread.

He began to growl, loudly. "Blood, and it's not far from here."

Kagome broke out of his embrace, snatched up her bow and walked behind him, hopping onto his back when he crouched down in habit. "Let's go."


	18. Chapter 18

_“Women need to feel loved and men need to feel needed.” – Rita Mae Brown, Riding Shotgun_

* * *

"Inuyasha, put me down."

The hanyō continued to sprint through the brush. "We're almost there, Kagome. Why don't you just wait until-" Her fingers dug painfully into his arms, a soft pulse of her energy brushing along his aura. Inuyasha put on the brakes and dropped her unceremoniously. "Jeez!"

She picked herself up without comment, eyes scanning their surroundings. "Something's hiding close by." She looked up into the trees. There was no mistaking that billowing evil that was pressing against her mind. She'd started to feel it almost a quarter of a mile back, and it had only grown more imposing. She glanced over at Inuyasha. "Do you smell anything strange?"

"Yeah." He was nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he was actually scared to the point his hands shook. Staring back into her uneasy features, he reached across his torso to grip the hilt of the Tessaiga. "You."

Kagome frowned, unimpressed. "Now isn't the time to be a smartass."

Inuyasha didn't blink. "I'm not. You're scent is changing." It raised the fine hairs at the back of his neck the turn her scent had taken; she smelled of evil. The Tessaiga began to vibrate under his hand, desiring to be drawn against her. He stared at the ragged hilt with shocked amber eyes, the vibration growing worse. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the blade and held it away from Kagome so it was angled behind him. "Tessaiga wants me to strike you."

Kagome's eyes widened and shifted haltingly to gaze at the enormous fang. "But...I'm human. Tessaiga...it...it can't strike down humans."

"It obviously doesn't think you're human anymore."

She scrutinized the ground in rapid, fear-induced thought. The oppressive shadow swirled closer on her consciousness and her eyes darted to his sword. "Inuyasha, swing the Tessaiga at me."

He almost choked. "Have you lost your fucking mind? No way!"

"Inuyasha, just do it."

"No!"

She shuddered as piercing foulness trailed down her spine. "You have to!"

"I won't!"

The wicked aura was suddenly strangling her. Kagome grabbed at her throat and started towards Inuyasha, her power defensively flaring. "If you won't do it on your own, then I'll make you!"

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was seeing. Her mahogany eyes were blazing viciously and he stepped back in responsive shock. "Kagome, what are you-" That's when it hit him: the sour cast to her scent was familiar in its evil and he realized where he'd smelled it before. He dove for Kagome. "Kagome!"

She grinned in a crooked sort of rictus. "Stupid cur!" Throwing her bow hand into his face, she channeled her energy through the limb and shot it toward him.

The hanyō threw up his arm to shield his face. The fire-rat cloth took the brunt of her attack and he swallowed thickly around the knot in his throat. His arm burned from the pale lilac energy, but he ignored it. Inuyasha set his eyes on hers, already feeling the guilt for what he was about to do. His hand clenched on Tessaiga and he raised it to a high-guard above his head. He watched her laugh and bring both hands up to face him. His ears flattened as she laughed in forced, painful way, cackling like a witch. It tore at his heart to see her this way.

Clamping his eyes shut to push away her face, he brought down the sword as her power exploded forth. "Forgive me."

The demonic blade and the purifying energy collided, but the Tessaiga wasn't rendered powerless like usual. Inuyasha grunted against the strength trying to throw his sword back at him and spied Kagome past the crackling energy crashing into one another. Her body was struggling to remain standing under the might of his blade, her already exhausted legs trembling under the stress. She wasn't the only one suffering from the friction their powers were creating; even as his hands began to bleed, he knew he had to keep fighting her. His acute eyesight could see the black streaks slicing through her pure aura, tainting it along with her mind. Her scent was completely blanketed by the sour evil odor.

Inuyasha leapt forward under the onslaught and yelled alongside the stronger wave of power he shot at her. "Is that all you've got?!"

Her corrupted power flared, slamming back the Tessaiga so hard that for a fleeting moment he thought she'd shatter it. He snarled as he battled back, knowing what he was giving wasn’t enough. His inu-yōkai watched silently as it waited; just by hanging around so calmly, Inuyasha knew it wasn't going to try and usurp him. His suspended position above her caused the blood from his lacerated palms to seep down the hilt, drooling down onto the blade. Tessaiga pulsed in his grip and Inuyasha dropped the final metal barrier that kept his savage inu-yōkai caged. There was no bestial takeover of times past; the dog simply came forward to resolutely give him what he needed. The hanyō felt the vigor permeate his body, slashing his cheeks with pale stripes, elongating his fangs, and bleeding his eyes to red. Moving as one, they struck against her together, the demonic blade radiating an illustrious golden glow.

Kagome released an agonized cry as her power gave out, recoiling hostilely against the Tessaiga and blowing her backward to slam her cruelly into the tree trunk nearly ten feet behind her. Sliding down the rough bark, she whimpered pathetically as her head flopped forward loosely. The elegant short bow clattered to the ground from her limp fingers.

Inuyasha dropped to the ground and bolted over to her unmoving body. Sheathing his fang, he felt the dog silently pull away and resume its earlier slumber without protest; it had done what was needed and kept its promise of good behavior. He felt the changes in his appearance fade, but didn't acknowledge it as he crept closer to Kagome, hesitating to touch her lest she shatter. She'd taken quite the blow, one that would've probably sent his reinforced body for a loop. Finally, it got to be too much and he reached out to touch her arm. A last vestige of her power zapped out to protect her and she moaned loudly. The hanyō discarded his nerves and jerked her drooping frame into his arms. The aura and its accompanying scent lingered and he realized her reasoning at last. Fine tremors ran through her unconscious limbs and were followed by anguished whimpers. Rumbling low in his throat to calm her, he wrapped his arms firmly around her torso and anchored her body to his as he rocked her softly.

He moved his mouth near her ear. "Destroy him, Kagome. Show that bastard Naraku that was a mistake to trifle with you."

* * *

"What's taking so long? Shouldn't she be back by now?"

Sango ran her hand down the kit's lengthening ponytail. "Don't worry, Shippō. Kagome's with Inuyasha."

He pouted and crossed his arms. "So?"

She pressed her hand to her mouth to hide her smile. "You and I both know that Inuyasha won't let anything happen to her."

"No, I _don't_ know." He swiveled around from his position on Kirara's broad head. "You saw what he did to her."

She nodded. "Yes, I did." Sango thought silently for a moment and then smiled. "Kagome and Inuyasha have been quarrelsome from the day we met them and I want you to think about something." He looked up at her curiously. "Has Inuyasha ever failed to protect Kagome while they were bickering?"

His answer was automatic. "Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "I meant has he ever not protected her because he was angry with her?"

"Well, no," he frowned, "not really."

"Then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"What if she can't bring him back?" He scooted down Kirara's neck and stopped beside Sango's hip.

"I wouldn't worry about that either. He'll come back on his own eventually." She ran her fingers through his hair to smooth the tangles inevitable in a rambunctious child. "I believe she has an excellent shot of bringing him back, though."

"Why?"

She smiled as he lapsed back into his more curious former self. "She has determination on her side."

He nodded, wavy chestnut hair bobbing in time. "Kinda like how you were determined to rehabilitate Miroku's womanizing, right?"

Sango watched her husband stumble out of the corner of her eye and grinned wryly. "Right." Her violet eyes lingered on the monk's back as they had with increasing frequency over the past few days. There was a minute rigidity to his movements, and if she hadn't been so intimate with him over the last few years, she wouldn't have noticed it. She addressed Shippō without looking at him. "Why don't you practice your scouting skills, Shippō? It'll give you something to do while you wait for Kagome to come back."

The kitsune followed her line of sight and sighed. "You could've just said you wanted some privacy."

She whirled to look at him, her hair tossing back over her shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that." Sango snatched his hands in her own. "I'd never try to get rid of you that way. I just thought some exploring might cheer you up." She smiled warmly at him. "You are a fox after all."

He straightened up and grinned. "That I am. Okay, I'll go wander off," He leapt off the large neko-yōkai's back and winked at her. "Out of earshot and everything."

Sango just shook her head at his antics. The silence that followed his departure was oppressive; wanting to speak with him alone  _had_ been part of her intention, but initiating conversation suddenly seemed awkward because he'd known what she was up to the entire time. She stared at the distance between them, tapping Kirara twice on her massive shoulder to ask her to stop. "Miroku-"

"You didn't have to send him away. I'm sure I could've handled the subject of your conversation." He continued to stride ahead without noticing that she was no longer following.

The yōkai-taijiya sighed. "Miroku, stop." She slid off the cat's back. "Stop ignoring me."

He looked over his shoulder at her queerly. "Ignoring you?"

"Yes." She smoothed the sage colored work apron tied around her waist. "We've been traveling for over a week and you've only grown more and more distant." She stared at the black material wrapping her hands. "And you've never spoken to me the way you did earlier."

He pivoted and strode toward her. "I was just sharing my opinion, Sango."

"Well, you definitely put me in my place." She hugged herself and looked away forlornly.

Miroku studied her a moment. The pleasant facade she'd worn since breaking camp had crumbled away to leave her face raw with buried hurt. He would have had to be a total fool to not see that something was eating her. It was obvious he was the cause, but he wasn't positive of the actual error. "Sango, I would never do that."

"Well, you did." She spat her words out distastefully. "You laid down the law when I said I would've stopped Inuyasha, as if you have the right, as my husband, to dictate how I behave.” She snorted. "Gods, Miroku, you don’t have to approve of my actions, but don’t you think I exist at your discretion."

"You're being ridiculous. You know I would never do that to you, Sango. I love you."

Sango rolled her eyes. "You’ve got a funny way of showing it."

Miroku stepped up behind her. “Sango,"

Her fingers dug into the sleeves of her pale kimono. "Call me spoiled, but I'm used to having you lying beside me when I sleep, constantly looking up to see you watching me. I miss all the whispered touches that I'm sure you think I don't notice." She sighed when he covered one of her clenched hands with his own. "I don't dislike your wandering hands as much as you seem to think I do."

He gripped her tighter. "I thought I was doing you a favor."

"By making me feel totally alone?"

He jerked her back against his chest, his arms locking hers to her side as he enveloped her within him. "I was just trying to protect you. I figured that if I kept my distance it would be easier for you to focus on finding and destroying Naraku." He pressed his cheek to hers, whispering along her smooth skin. "I thought if it was like it was before that you'd be safer without me to distract you."

Sango drew her hands up to lace their fingers together. "Foolish monk, you only managed the exact opposite. I haven't even been able to think about yōkai with you so adamantly aloof. Five years ago, I was younger and my priorities were still fixated on Kohaku, but now I'm married. I've caught glimpses of what it could be like when this is finally over." She turned her face to softly kiss his cheek. "I always assumed that being with you made us equals and partners, but then all of a sudden I found myself alone when doing so will never win against Naraku."

"I didn't want you to worry more than you already were. Finding Kohaku is a big enough burden without having to deal with me." He sighed when she relaxed against him. "I know better now. You're my wife and friend and I shouldn't have tried to decide for the both of us when we should be doing it together. Forgive me?"

"Yes, on the condition that you never presume for my sake again.”

"Understood."

Kirara, who had been sitting quietly the entire time with Sango's Hiraikotsu slung around her neck, yowled at the both of them. The couple looked up curiously at the sound, watching fastidiously as she sauntered toward them. Slipping around them, Kirara bumped her shoulder into the back of Miroku's knees, buckling them. They both gave startled gasps as they toppled onto her wide back together. Satisfied, she ignited the flames on her dinner-plate sized paws and went airborne.

Sango recovered first, fisting her hands in the thick, cream colored fur and assisting Miroku into a steadier position. She leaned forward, confident that the monk's hands on her hips would catch her should she slip, and brushed the demon cat's ears. "What's wrong, Kirara?"

Her rumbling response reverberated through their bodies as she soared above the tree line. Both of her passengers stared at the crimson fireball slowly making its way down behind the mountain range. The sunset was breathtakingly vibrant, and yet mildly comforting in its familiarity. It was constant, something to grab onto when everything else in life seemed to be spiraling out of control.

Miroku glanced at Kirara's twitching ears. "Did you bring us up here to see this, Kirara?"

Sango hugged the neko's neck. "It's beautiful, Kirara. Thank you." She sighed and laid her cheek on the silken blanket of fur, staring down at the forest. She easily picked out the trail they'd been on from between all the trees and jerked upright when she saw something bright flash across it. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Hm?" Miroku glanced over her shoulder. At first he didn't see anything, but then he too caught the same flash of copper darting between the trees. "That looks like Shippō."

Sango tapped the massive shoulder in front of her. "Kirara, take us down."

The trio sailed down to where they'd all seen the apparition. Miroku jumped off and peered around. "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary."

The yōkai- taijiya shouldered her Hiraikotsu with practiced ease and started striding down the path with her neko-yōkai partner. "Shippō?" Sango stopped and turned toward the steeply sloped edge. "Shippō, are you out here?"

The shaking of a nearby bush had them both whirling, weapons at the ready. The group was so tense it felt as if the very air itself was holding its breath. A twig snapped and was followed by a string of curses so colorful, it left little to the imagination as to who was teaching him. A few seconds later, the foul-mouth in question emerged from the shrubbery, hurriedly pulling the leaves and dirt from his clothes. He stilled when he realized he wasn't alone, pulling his head up to blink at them slowly. His hands froze mid-leaf-pluck. "Wow, you guys definitely just scared me half to death."

Sango relaxed her grip on the giant bone boomerang. "What are you doing in there?"

He grinned and dashed over to snatch her hand, tugging her towards the dense foliage. "Scouting like you told me too." Shippō was nearly bursting with excitement. "You'll never guess what I found!"

Miroku bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking at Sango's pleading look. He fell in step behind them. "I won't have to guess if you're just going to drag us both to wherever it is."

"Us?" Sango snapped sarcastically.

Miroku nodded sagely. "Yes. We aren't two separate people, but one superbly functioning unit. Right?"

She rolled her violet eyes and mumbled under her breath, "Some parts of this 'unit' aren't going to be functioning in the very near future." She stumbled on a root and just about tumbled down the hill. "Where exactly  _is_  this thing you found, Shippō?"

"Just a little farther." He let go of her hand and scampered over a rotten log, disappearing through a hedge once over it. "Here it is!"

The couple popped through a few moments later sporting a bunch of fresh scratches and mirrored expressions of annoyance. "Here is what?"

Shippō beamed back at them. "The blood trail I found!"

* * *

"You've finally regained your voice."

Kagura spared the boy a furtive glance. "It's about time."

Kohaku smiled knowingly as he bent down to inspect a few swirling marks in the sand. The wind witch would never admit it, but he knew by her nonchalant attitude that she was greatly relieved. Standing back up, he pointed to the east. "The tracks head that way."

Kagura reluctantly followed him, tapping her fan on her upper arm with agitation. "This is so tedious. How can you stand doing this day after day?"

He laughed. "Of all people, Kagura, I thought you would be the one to understand."

"Obviously, I don't."

"Obviously." He examined a trampled patch of grass, clearly distinguishing that a sharp hoof had torn up the ground in search of young grass; the deer he was trailing weren't far away. "You and I both know that my life can end at any second. I would much rather spend it immersed in nature's beauty than in some secluded cave like a hermit." He glanced at her steadily blank expression. "Wind is an element of nature, right?"

She followed him silently, her footfalls entirely soundless. "Yes."

"As a yōkai of the elements, you should be more tightly bound to nature than any other." He increased the distance between them; a hit from her fan was not something he relished. "And from what I surmised from your speech to Kikyō, I'd say that you  _really do_  understand."

Kagura's hand tightened instinctively on her fan and she had to catch herself before unleashing her fury on him. Snapping her fan shut angrily, she closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. The boy was right. Her honesty had been uncustomary with Kikyō in hopes of earning her favor, but that didn't make her words any less truthful. Unhindered, she would have assuredly been peacefully content to wander the wilderness. The wind had no boundaries; it was unrestrained and free to follow its own will.

Something that uninhibited would die without freedom, as she was under Naraku’s control.

Unlike his other miscreants, her power was waning. She could feel it in the drag in her body and the weakness in her limbs. Her natural endurance was fading as well. Following Kohaku through the woods would undoubtedly leave her drained and she would be restricted to her bed until morning. To worsen her predicament further, her wound was taking much too long to heal; only the deepest layers of tissue had regenerated and she continued to have to bandage it every morning like lowly mortal. Her demonic powers were slowly being stripped away, and she knew that without liberation, she would fade completely. Her lips curled back with disgust at the notion.

"Kag...ura..."

Her eyes snapped open, concern rapidly replacing her wrath by his distressed call. "Kohaku?"

He was leaning heavily against a tree, sweat pouring off his brow. "I can...feel it. The jewel, it...He's calling her."

She frowned. "Who?"

He grimaced. "Naraku, he's...he's calling to Kagome."

"Kagome?" She watched him pant and blinked with disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"The shard." He started to sag. "He's using it to...to talk to her."

"But she can purify his evil taint! He has no power on her shard!"

Kohaku coughed. "He does...when she's unconscious." He laughed softly as the shock etched into her face. "You didn't know he could do that, did you?" He shrugged through his trembling. "He has the majority of the jewel shards and using the _Shikon no Tama's_ natural powers, he can speak to her when her powers are dormant. How do you think he's been giving me my orders all this time?"

"I thought he could only do that to you because he'd already influenced the shard in your back." She eyed him warily.

He shook his head. "He can link up to any of the four remaining jewel shards anytime he wants. He can't influence them with his evil without being in very close proximity." He relaxed as the tension left his body. "It's a trick he learned after his last confrontation with Inuyasha and he's exploited it to no end on Kagome."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Kohaku gripped his kusarigama tightly. "It means that he's had these last few years to toy with her emotions without her even realizing it."

_"Kohaku..."_

The intense pain that webbed through his skull was strong enough to send him to his knees, grasping his head as if to stop it from exploding. The shard in his back throbbed and he debated whether or not to sink the point of his weapon into his back and put an end to it right then. He grit his teeth and clawed at neck.

_"You wouldn't happen to be fighting me, would you, Kohaku? You know you don't want to be doing that."_

His shard pulsated violently, bowing his back and collapsing the limbs holding him up. Kohaku groaned and went still, his energy suddenly spent.

_"That's more like the Kohaku I decided to resurrect. You understand obedience so much better than any of my other pets."_

Kohaku fisted the dirt in impotent protest

 _"Oh, but you are!"_  He felt Naraku's laugh all the way down to his bones.  _"That's why I'm sending you to fetch Kikyō for me."_

Kohaku shook his head, but was silenced by another wave of pulsating pain.

_"No more objections! Now, be a good boy and do as you're told."_

Kohaku looked up the instant the yōkai’s presence, and the agonizing malady that came with him, was gone and saw Kagura's hand hanging tentatively a few inches away from him. She pulled it back after he stared at it a few moments. "What just happened?"

"Naraku sends his regards." He rolled onto his back and stared at the clouds. "He wants Kikyō."

She sighed. "Anything else?"

"No." Slipping to his feet, he strode back toward the village. "Not unless you need another reminder of who your master is."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: mild wound gore and blood

_“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” – Mahatma Gandhi_

* * *

 

"Oh, gods..." Kagome pressed a hand to her forehead. "Did anyone catch the number of that bus?" It felt like someone was trying to cleave into her cranium with a chisel. She was lying flat on her back at the base of an enormous tree. She squinted at the gnarled branches. "I remember hitting a tree just like this one." She rolled her head to look around her and recognized the small glen with its moss-draped elms as the one she'd come to with Inuyasha. She swallowed. "That's right. Inuyasha used the Tessaiga against me."

She shut her eyes to combat the pain dancing behind her forehead. A chill raced up her arms and she frowned. Cracking her eyes for a look, she blinked at the heavy mist clouding her surroundings. "There wasn't any fog." A twinge of fear edged into her mind. "If I'm in that glen, then where is Inuyasha? He should be here with me." She sat up quickly, weaving from side to side with an attack of vertigo. "Where?" Kagome grimaced through the spurts of laser-like pain darting through her head. "Where...is Inuyasha?"

"Oh, right over here!"

Kagome looked to her right in the direction of the jubilant cry. Her mouth actually dropped when she saw who was standing amongst the fog. "You!"

Her imposter smiled brilliantly at her through the mist. "Hello again, Kagome."

She gingerly stood up and surveyed the girl opposite her. The pseudo-Kagome was dressed in her old school uniform and looking entirely too perky. Kagome took a deep breath and met her living reflection with guarded brown eyes. "I distinctly remember asking who the hell you were the last time we met."

The clone nodded. "That's right."

"Well?"

It grinned again. "No, I'm not going to tell you yet. It would spoil all the fun."

"I doubt that whatever you're planning should be considered fun."

Her double frowned. "Damn, you're just too uptight." It sighed. "I guess that's to be expected after what I've done to you."

Kagome stilled. "What you've done to me? What are you talking about?"

"We'll get to that too, but first I want to ask you a question." It looked down at the dog-eared head held to its chest by its right arm. "Why did you leave Inuyasha?"

Kagome clenched a fist as her heart sped into overdrive. "Let him go."

The phantom shook its head and tightened the choke-hold is had on the obviously unconscious hanyō. "Not until you answer my question."

The priestess watched Inuyasha grimace painfully and weakly try to pry the arm loose. Kagome was moving before she realized it, storming across the misty ground angrily. She grabbed the false woman's wrist roughly. "I said let him go!"

Her phantom twin jerked free and effortlessly threw the hanyō into her. "You're a demanding little wench."

Kagome hadn't expected to have him thrown at her and caught him as best she could. Her antagonist had made him seem like a feather-weight, but Inuyasha was anything but light. She cradled his head and neck with her arms and could do nothing else but break both of their falls. The ground was more forgiving than she anticipated, but still hard, and his lack of momentum made the impact much kinder than it could have been had there been more distance between them. The majority of his weight fell on her legs, but she managed to stop his head from contacting the ground, using her body as a cushion. Kagome eased her legs out from under him and laid his head down on the thick grass, pausing to brush his bangs out of his face and place a soft kiss on his forehead. Slipping to her feet, she turned back to the woman.

Kagome glared at the figure with narrowed mahogany eyes. Stepping around the incapacitated hanyō, she blocked him from view. "I'm only going to ask you one more time." The venom in her tone surprised her. "Who the fuck are you?"

The other snickered. "And what do you plan to do if I don't tell you?"

Kagome smirked crookedly. "This."

Darting forward, she jerked back her right arm and threw her fist into her imposter's face.

The specter stumbled back cradling its face and managed to glare through watering eyes. "Cute trick." Its voice was muffled. "Where'd you learn that?"

Kagome shook her hand to relieve the sting in her knuckles; whatever it was, it was definitely not a ghost with the bones under its flesh. "You can thank Inuyasha for that one."

The artificial brown eyes flashed. "Yes." It pulled its hands away and stared at the blood coating them. "That hanyō always was a savage brute." It flicked its eyes back to the true priestess. "Alright, I'll tell you. Besides," it swiped the blood from its face, "I can't wait to see your face when I do."

* * *

"I could find no survivors, Milord. They're all dead."

Sesshōmaru surveyed the ransacked village. Hakudōshi’s threat was serious; Naraku really did intend to attack his father's lands. He glanced at the chewed corpses strewn across the trodden dirt. As of yet, it appeared that only mortals had been targeted. He turned away and strode past Jaken. "Let us go."

"Yes, Milord." The imp followed humbly.

This was the third village to fall victim to a horde of primitive demons – a favorite tool of Naraku. The Western Lands of Inu no Taishō were vast, so much so that along their borders was a number of human villages. During his father's reign, they went without persecution from yōkai and human alike, all protected by the dai-yōkai. After his premature death, that protection had vanished, leaving them all to fend for themselves. The first decade or so, the legend of Inu no Taishō was enough to keep the threats at bay, but that faded with time as well and it wasn't long before they were as vulnerable as any other village.

Sesshōmaru stalked past the burned out husk of a hut, ignoring the scent of charred flesh in the air. He knew he wasn't feeling rage because of these deaths; he was angry because a worthless yōkai had dared to mock his sire. He, as his father's son, was the only one allowed to rule here and it was his discretion that determined whether or not these mortals continued to survive. Killing the humans his father had sworn to protect was a slap to his face. For years he had forgone killing these very same people on principle alone, but now he knew that he would not have done it anyway.

Never one to hold back a killing blow, he found himself consistently sparing the mortals in his grip; he'd apparently inherited his father's one weakness.

Leaving the death and destruction behind, he traversed the wilderness from memory. The scenery had changed somewhat over time, but the land beneath it was the same. It was only a few hours before he came to the border. There was no physical marker, and only the faint trace of his aura remained from when he'd marked it all those years ago. After inheriting the lands, he'd had to cover his father's mark with his own. It had taken him days, but he had reinforced the border with his blood exactly as his father had shown him as a pup.

He knew he had spent far too much time abroad with how weak the border had grown. Stopping, he stared at the ground.

Jaken gazed at him with concern. "What is it, Lord Sesshōmaru?"

Without answering, he raised his arm and held out a fist. His expression neutral, he clenched his fist tighter until he felt his claws pierce his palm. He relaxed the limb as his rich blood seeped through his fingers and dripped to the ground. The droplets spattered across the earth haphazardly, oozing into the dirt with a flash of blue light. The illumination spread quickly in a domino-effect, high-lighting the invisible border of the Western Lands.

Jaken stumbled backwards, gasping with awe. "Oh, Milord..."

He opened his palm and watched the dark fluid drool from the self-inflicted wounds, the key locked away in the power of his blood – the glowing line zigzagging through the woods twinkled as proof. There was only one more step to make sure those he considered unwelcome stayed out. Crouching, he turned the bloodied palm and pressed it to the line. An instantaneous shockwave pulsated beneath their feet and shuddered the trees around them to the point a few of the weaker ones were uprooted.

Withstanding the last of the quakes, he straightened up as the glowing cerulean line faded back into nothingness. "The border of the Western Lands has been restored."

"Very impressive, Lord Sesshōmaru. Now nothing will be able to attack your lands." Jaken clung to his staff, using it to regain his footing.

"No." Sesshōmaru flexed the claws of his still bleeding hand. "It will only hold off what is not already within the border." He strode over the invisible marker and entered his domain. "Those that attacked the village are already here."

"Does that mean Naraku's underling has laid siege to your fortress?"

The Inu-yōkai stilled, a familiar but long missed scent catching his attention. Scanning the dense woodlands, he scrutinized each and every leaf and twig in turn.

"Milord?"

Sesshōmaru threw out his arm, slinging blood onto the imp's suddenly cowering face. "Quiet."

Jaken shivered and ducked behind the tail of his master's enormous ruff. "Yes, Milord."

Glancing to his right, he stared at a pair of pines set nearly on top of one another. His tourmaline eyes narrowed, the scent more concentrated there. Walking over to the trees, his eyes grazed slowly down their trunks and zeroed in on the discrepancy that had caught his attention. What had first appeared to be the natural fungi growing on the trunks was, in fact, dragon scales.

Scales drenched with congealed blood.

Sesshōmaru's jaw tightened. Moving closer, he ran his claws through the darkened, syrup-like substance. "It is still warm."

Jaken peered around him with a frown. "Dragon scales?" He blinked a few times and then gasped. "A-Un!"

With the imp clinging to his fur stole, Sesshōmaru followed the scent through the brush. The further into his territory he went, the more signs of battle popped up, decaying demon corpses strewn about between stark interruptions in the terrain. The cause was well known to him; there was only one kind of blast that made such marks. His companion had fought here, unsuccessfully.

After parting with Rin, he had ordered the dragon back here to stand guard, which, it seemed, he had done to the utmost. Sesshōmaru leapt over a ragged trench in the earth and stopped on the outskirts on a small glen. The scent of A-Un's blood was strongest here. He strode between the trees and stilled at the sight before him, disquieted at the scene.

The twin-headed dragon lay on his side, the pool of blood around his body staining the soft grass crimson. Vicious wounds scored his armored hide, much of his flesh torn and ragged. The awkward angle of Un's neck told of his demise. Sesshōmaru stared at the lifeless carcass of his loyal companion, a creature that had befriended him since birth, and knelt down beside the dragon. "A-Un." He shut his eyes and sighed.

Jaken glanced nervously between the two, lingering curiously on the fallen dragon. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked some more. "Lord Sesshōmaru, A-Un..."

The inu-yōkai opened his eyes slowly, eyeing the corpse cautiously. The dragon smelled of death, and consequently, life as well. A minute movement caught his attention and he focused on the body. It was unnoticeable to a weaker eye, but the dragon's ribcage was expanding shallowly. Sesshōmaru turned to the animal's heads, thinking it impossible; even as the thought occurred to him, A's head emitted a pained growl.

"A-Un is alive!" Jaken gaped as the dragon lifted its remaining head and rested it on the dai-yōkai's knee.

Sesshōmaru placed his hand on the dying dragon's head. "You are sustaining life for the both of you." A opened his jaw and rumbled, his eyes shifting shut. Sesshōmaru lifted his limp head and laid it beside its partner. "His strength is waning. Soon, he will die."

Jaken whimpered. "Oh, A-Un." He turned toward Sesshōmaru and gasped at the sight. "Milord, the Tensaiga..."

The blade radiated like a glinting sapphire in his grip, angling out over the dying dragon's body. Tilting the blade, he focused as the air around A-Un grew clouded. Suddenly, he could see them crawling over the animal's hide like parasites, the gruesome minions of the underworld. Striking down at the dragon, they perished and released the body from their grasp. Tensaiga calmed, losing its aura, and Sesshōmaru slid it smoothly back into its sheath.

"Rise, A-Un."

The neutral-toned hide of the dragon quivered and shuddered as he lurched to his feet. Both of his enormous heads slithered to life, eyes snapping open and training themselves on the tall yōkai standing before him. A-Un flicked his massive tail, slinging off copious amounts of dead flesh - both his own and that of his victims – and bellowed harmoniously. Rising before the dai-yōkai, he gave his renewed flesh a vigorous shake to dispel the last of the filth coating his gigantic frame. Finished, he came forward with his heads bowed.

Sesshōmaru held out his hand, pleased when the docile dragon pressed his muzzles again his palm with placation. "A-Un, your efforts here have been acknowledged. You have done well." The dragon hissed softly, pulling back dual heads to blink at him patiently. Sesshōmaru turned his head up to stare at the darkening sky, slowly returning his gaze to the devoted creature watching him expectantly. "I have a task for you."

* * *

Kagome told herself to stay calm because irrational rage never helped anyone accomplish anything. It was something her mother had taught her from the time of her first temper tantrum as a toddler. Since then, those words had always managed to influence her back to reality. They were what kept her such an amiable, forgiving person. She was, without a doubt, a product of her raising.

But as she stared at the grinning figure wearing her face, Kagome decided that maybe, just maybe, her mother wasn't always right.

The longer she stood watching it, the more sure Kagome became that these most recent visits were not her first meetings with this phantom. It wasn't so much the human manifestation of it, but the way it thought and spoke; the mannerisms were familiar, as if they had been conditioned to her over a long period of time. Kagome felt as if she could predict what would come spewing out of its mouth next.

"So, you want to know who I am." The false schoolgirl ruffled its hair absently. "It's so obvious that I thought you would've caught on by now. Simply put, I'm the embodiment of all the unsavory aspects of your heart."

Kagome swallowed thickly, grimacing at how parched her throat had gotten. She couldn't say she hadn't expected that – she'd been considering that possibility herself. It was the sudden physical appearance that gnawed at her. "I get that, but why haven't we met earlier?"

"That's the rich, juicy center of it." It grinned fraudulently. "Someone with colossal generosity gave me the power to come alive."

Kagome felt like her stomach had dropped out of her body. Her hardened exterior began to falter, her lower lip trembling softly. She knew what it was going to say next, knew it with every quavering fiber in her body. The gloom of the fog swirled tighter around her, enveloping her in a cold so foreboding it felt as if it meant to freeze her soul solid. "No, it can't be. It's not..." Her voice died to a whisper. "...possible."

"Oh," her apparent dark-side-come-to-life strode over and patted her head like she was a petulant child being reprimanded. "You've suspected all along, haven't you?" It crooned gently as it pulled a lethargic Kagome into its arms. "There, there now. No need to get upset about it."

Kagome's skin crawled; all her instincts were screaming at her to get away, to scrub herself clean until her skin bled away the taint he'd filled her with. He'd manipulated the most precious part of her: her heart. He'd taken it, dissected it, and manifested all the small, molding, and rotten pieces of it into the body currently holding her to its bosom. Kagome felt naked; her worst enemy had torn away her shell, baring all her vulnerabilities to his viewing pleasure. That exposure drove her to want to seek shelter and feebly cover herself in an attempt to mourn. Tears leaked out of her unblinking eyes as her mouth formed silent, incoherent words.

The sinister creature cradling her shaking frame set her away, the tight grip on her shoulders the only reason Kagome wasn't pooled on the ground in a tangle of limbs. "This is so sad. You know you can't blame anyone but yourself. Where else would Naraku have gotten all those lovely raw materials to make  _moi_?"

Kagome blinked at the sound of his name, managing to focus her dulled vision on the thing jeering at her. The impact of its words calmed something within her and she regained the use of her voice. "That may be true," her head fell forward so she was glaring out from under heavy lids, "but you've given me even more reason to make sure you're sent to burn in hell."

Her doppelganger dropped its hands and laughed. "You can't kill me. I'm a part of you."

"Yes," she lifted her head staunchly, "I can." Kagome didn't know how she hadn't seen it before: she was unconscious. She never got visits from evil specters while awake, and not being awake certainly didn't mean she wasn't able. Her powers were much more accessible in this state and she used that tingling warmth to view her sinister clone in a new light. Staring intently, it was an easy task to see the image of Naraku super-imposed over the snide looking wraith. "You're not a part of me, just an extension of a cowardly fiend."

Naraku's snarl overshadowed its shriek until the phantom all but disappeared from her sight. "You forget that I know all your darkest secrets. I know your weakness."

Kagome smiled genuinely at him. "And I know yours."

His snarl faded abruptly and he chuckled darkly. "Alright, I will allow this one reprieve, but I can't make that guarantee for your sister, here." Grinning cheekily, he faded away.

Left in his place was a very irate apparition, black lacing its aura. "You little bitch! I'll kill you!" It screamed and charged.

Kagome dodged the first blow, ducking to the left and smashing the stiffened side of her hand into the back of its neck as it lurched passed. Her attacker stumbled and fell, but slung out a heel and knocked her feet out from under her. Kagome went down hard, blindly throwing out a leg to hold off the growling banshee. Her twin stumbled back, but resumed its assault the second it gained its balance. It flew at Kagome with a guttural roar and chopped its arm at her head.

The priestess blocked it with her forearm and proceeded to hold off an all-out blitz attack of fists. High, low, and across; the raging puppet's offensive was agonizingly swift and Kagome knew she'd be covered in angry bruises if the pain radiating up her arms was any indicator. Her strength was fading as well; she'd endured too much. Blocking a kick aimed for her groin with splayed hands, Kagome used what little she had left and slammed her fist into her twin's face once more.

Roaring in pain, the lesser creature reeled and slashed out with its heel as it spun. The foot hit Kagome point-blank in the belly. The force sent her stomach rolling as she hobbled backward, hacking violently as she went. Unable to see where she was going as a result of the fog, she inevitably hooked her foot on something-

A pair of warm, steely arms clamped around her as her back connected with a broad expanse of walled flesh. Glittering locks of silver hair fell into her peripheral as Inuyasha peered at her from over her shoulder. "Kagome, are you alright?"

She sobbed with relief, her legs finally buckling. His arms tightened to hold her up. "Inuyasha..." She clutched his wrists. "I have no idea how you got here, but I'm so happy you did."

He smiled, fangs peeking out of the corners of his mouth. "I'm not sure either, but I think my dog had something to do with it."

"Your dog?" She raised a curious brow.

"Never mind that." He pulled her up so she was standing with her weight leaning on him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Kagome stared into his concerned amber eyes and nodded. "Yes." She looked away when the tears suddenly sprang forth.

"Hey," he tipped her chin back, "what's wrong, Kagome?" She just shook her head and buried her face into his chest. Inuyasha's ears drooped. "C'mon Kagome, you know I hate it when you cry. Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

Kagome fisted his bright haori in her hands. "No, now isn't the time." There were a million things she needed to tell him and a million things she wanted to hear from him, but this wasn't the time or place. She sniffed and turned her face back to his. "We have to get out of this freak show first."

Inuyasha watched her will away her tears and relaxed. She was back in control, just like he counted on – he knew it was unfair of him to rely on like that, but he couldn't help it. Pressing a quick kiss to her lips, he nodded. "How?"

"Aw, how cute. The little doggy has been reunited with his master. Now they'll live happily ever after with him at her every beck and call." They both turned to look at the deranged specter dressed in Kagome’s old, tattered uniform. It sneered with its busted lips, spitting blood at their feet crudely. "You two make me sick."

Inuyasha glanced back at the woman in his arms. "Who the hell is she?"

Kagome glared at it. "You know how I said now isn't the time?" She pointed at the creature across the glen. "That's what I meant." She pulled at his wrists. "Let me go."

He reluctantly released her when he saw the disdain in her eyes. "Kagome?"

She slipped out of his grasp, willing her legs to work and moved behind his shoulder. "I'm not strong enough to kill her." She gripped his shoulder. "I need your help. Use the Tessaiga on her."

He glanced between the two anxiously. "She looks just like you."

Kagome nodded. "I know, I'll be fine." She pulled the sword from its sheath herself, holding it out to him. "You did it before to bring me here, and I need you to do it again." She stared at him sternly. "I'm trapped here until you do."

Inuyasha nodded. The circumstances surrounding this bizarre episode were bewildering. He knew that for now he had to ignore his confusion, confident Kagome would explain everything to him when it was over. Lifting the sword from her nimble hands, he brandished the transformed fang and leveled it at the Kagome’s raving twin. "You may have her face, but don't think it'll spare you. You stink like Naraku." A scathing growl stirred deep in his throat. "I refuse to leave here without her, so that means you have to die."

Its eyes lingered on the sword for a moment before shifting to blaze at them both. "So be it." It straightened where it stood, legs together with its hands clasped in front of it like it was overjoyed at the notion. "I'm not worried. The two of you will both perish at the hands of Naraku. I will be avenged in the end."

Inuyasha raised the gleaming blade. "You really ought to," he brought it down with all his might upon her unmoving body, "shut up!"

Kagome watched the Tessaiga slice through her, igniting a blinding pink light. Inuyasha disappeared from view when the light exploded forth from her own body; confused, she looked down and saw the _Shikon_ shard vibrating against her chest. Kagome felt the fog close in on her head, darkening her vision, realizing the source of Naraku’s influence. She smirked derisively as her body went limp, no longer his ignorant patsy.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Non-consensual touch, abuse, sexual assault, references to rape, body horror, and blood.

_“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche_

* * *

 

The constant ache inside her head had returned. The unrelenting throb in her skull had abated for a time, but it never stayed away for long. It always found its way back to shadow her every move with a needling discomfort behind her eyes, and every time it resurfaced, its assault was stronger than the last.

She hated it more than anything; more than her grudge against Inuyasha, or even Naraku for that matter.

There was one thing – person – she despised above all other things and her features twisted in a sneer at the thought of her.

"You're much more alluring when you're not scowling, Kikyō."

The priestess cut her empty eyes to the yōkai reclining against the wall. "I cannot help it. You repulse me."

He laughed, rolling a small object in his right hand. "You're in rare form. Have I caught you on a bad day?"

She snorted and tipped her head to view him better. "Every day is a bad day. There are no longer any enjoyable days for me."

"How sad."

Kikyō ignored his condescending remark. "Tell me what you wanted, Naraku, before I lose my patience."

He frowned. "Come now, Kikyō. I gave you my word that I would not harm you."

"How can I trust your word when you had Kohaku take my weapon?"

He spread his arms as if to indicate his mutual defenselessness. "I harbor no weapons, Kikyō."

She gifted him with a bitter smile. "Do you take me for a fool, Naraku?"

"No. You are, in fact, the only one of my enemies I do not consider insignificant."

Kikyō couldn't deny the intense wave of satisfaction that rolled through her at hearing that confession. She didn't bother to scold his carelessness in regard to Inuyasha and his elder brother, Sesshōmaru, thoroughly enjoying the thought of his death at their hands, the fool.

"If that is true, then you must have also realized that I have no need for weapons. They are merely objects of convenience." She raised her pallid hands and examined the texture of her artificial skin. "All I really require are these hands, but then," she flicked her pensively dark eyes to his, "so do you."

He smiled. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but you are mistaken."

Kikyō stared at him, pain skittering along the sensitive nerves of her right eye. "For a heinous fiend, your skills at deception are severely lacking." She appreciated watching his eyes darken angrily and barked a brazen laugh. "If you continue to think lightly of me, then I'll just have to grant your wish. I'll make sure all those little fears of yours are justified."

"You delude yourself. I fear no one." He silently slipped to his socked feet, the rustle of his ornate clothing the only sound permeating the room.

She returned his vicious glare with equal disdain. The tension zapping down her spine eased as the discomfort running rampant in her brain thankfully subsided. Infinitely relieved, she drew her gaze up his body – absently noting that his affinity for a dark color palette was not nearly as intimidating as he believed – and decided, overall, that his appearance was entirely too human. Meeting his fuming eyes, she sighed with resignation. "You cannot lie to me, Onigumo."

His hand lashed out and connected with her jaw, snapping her head around and shoving her backward. Her lip stung where it had split down the middle, blood trickling down her chin and welling in her mouth.

Kikyō hesitated.

She had bled before – befittingly at his hands – but never had she tasted it; that sensation, in and of itself, was alien. She never had the need to use that particular sense, because when did the dead require food? Rolling the warm liquid on her tongue, Kikyō marveled at how salty it was once she got past the blanket of copper. The slight sweetness of it surprised her as well, and she finally lifted her head to look at his pleased expression.

Fixing him with an acidic stare, she collected the fluid in her mouth and spat it onto the pristine tatami mats. "And you said your hands  _weren't_  weapons?"

"They aren't unless you provoke me." His eyes loitered on her bleeding lip, a familiar heat swirling through them. "Do not speak that name again."

Kikyō remembered that look, at one time, had unnerved her – now all it did was irritate her. "Then tell me. What  _should_  I call you when the lust for me is plain in your eyes? Surely not Naraku?"

He sobered instantly, stepping away with distrust. "Onigumo is dead."

She nodded affably. "Yes, that is true." Absently touching the tacky blood on her chin, Kikyō rubbed it between her fingers. "It also happens to be false."

His next blow hit her solar plexus, dropping her to the floor like a swatted fly. Fluids long forgotten threatened to burst up from her esophagus as her rigid back flexed painfully in the opposite direction. Kikyō pressed her face into the mat, seizing with every breath until the distressed squeals of her undead innards ceased. Other than her labored breathing, she exhibited no sign of discomfort when she sat up and curled her legs beneath her. The pain receptors she'd been reborn with had been dulled by death and with the constantly crippling migraines, pain was of no real consequence to her.

Furthermore, the healing period was nearly nonexistent thanks to the number of souls her Shinidamachū would bring to repair her body; nothing – save for Naraku's miasma – was outside her recovery. Which begged the question...

Why hadn't he used that already?

Sighing wearily, she slid to her feet and cast him a bored look. "If you will not tell me why I was brought here, then I will take my leave."

The expression on his face said he did not care one iota if she were to spontaneously combust at that particular moment. He would love seeing her dead and the Naraku she knew would have made sure she returned to her home six feet under by now. She stopped beside the door, curious, and turned to glance at his brooding visage.

If she had no knowledge of his wickedness, or yōkai blood, she would have considered him to be another darkly handsome lord, but she knew that wasn't his face: Naraku didn't have one. She could live with her bizarre attraction to him only because she knew she was really looking upon the striking features of Kagewaki Hitomi. He had stolen the young lord's image just as he had stolen countless others – including the hanyō she had once thought she had loved. Naraku had even stooped so low as to emulate her own visage in his little scheme to destroy Inuyasha and taint the _Shikon no Tama_.

Narrowing her eyes, she knew she had to put a stop to his apparently unflappable reign of terror. "I will kill you the next time we meet." However, as she watched him, continuing to stare at her, an earlier though returned. "Goodbye, Onigumo."

His reaction was as predictable as she'd known it would be, with him exploding forth from the chink she'd put in his armor. He crossed the small room faster than she could follow and had her pinned to the wall beside the door. Being that the wall was solid rock, she flinched when the unyielding stone stabbed into her backside. Her eyes squeezed shut and she felt, rather than saw, his amused chuckle, pulling back when his breath wafted over her damp skin. "You never learn," his knuckles brushed along her jaw and trailed down her throat to lazily smooth over her exposed collarbone, "do you, Kikyō?"

"Neither..." She groaned when those fingers dug into the hollow of her throat, piercing her skin when they formed sharpened points. She squirmed as warm blood snaked a path down her chest to slither between her breasts and curl along her stomach. Kikyō glared at him with disgust, lips curling back as buried rage won the battle for emotional dominance.

"Neither do you, Naraku!" She leaned forward, snapping the words out like a hissing cat. "Haven't you learned that nothing you ever do will rid you of the human you once were?"

Naraku was vibrating with rage, jerking the bloodied stakes from her throat and coiling them together to wrap around her neck. "He's constantly interfering – even now I can't bring myself to remove your fucking head!"

Kikyō felt her ire quickly fade away to calm observation. "I have been proven right once again. You cannot kill me because you are governed by Onigumo's soul."

The vine encircling her neck jerked her away from the wall to clamp her flush against his enraged body. "My name is Naraku!"

"Naraku is just a guise for the patchwork of yōkai making up Onigumo's new body." She gasped when he yanked her head back. Kikyō glared hatefully. "You are one in the same!"

His mouth descended to the wound on her neck, lapping up her blood like he was some kind of overgrown vampire bat. Kikyō squirmed under his touch, but couldn't bring herself to pull away completely. Leaving the puncture wounds behind, his tongue burned a fiery trail up her throat until he reached her chin. He pulled back and stared into her wide, scared eyes. "He still yearns for you," he sneered heatedly. "Kikyō, the glorified corpse. He desires your blood, but not your miserable life."

The lust had returned to his gaze, but unlike before, he was no longer fighting it. She had never thought he could strike fear into her, but her whole body was trembling with it. Her heart tattooed erratically in her chest. He was totally unpredictable now; she knew what Onigumo had envisioned and now that he had an able body, those intentions had her petrified. "Onigumo never wanted me dead, only destroyed."

"Yes, he wants you destroyed." His other hand brushed along her waist, nonchalantly slicing through her haori to reach her skin. Those agile fingers dug into her pale flesh to cut thin trails of blood to the underside of her breast, where his brutal caress went gentle. Softly stroking her sensitive skin, he tugged on her hair as her breathing hitched. "He also wants me to throw you to the ground and fuck you until your pleasured screams turn into agonized shrieks." He slashed open the remaining shreds of her haori and exposed her breast to his bladed grip.

Kikyō cried out as his vicious hold squeezed her tender flesh, tears of pained humiliation pooling in her eyes. She couldn't move; her arms hung lax at her sides, her fear was just too great. She had figured only to gather information when she'd stoked the flames of his madness, but her gross miscalculation had her totally immobilized.

She could do nothing; she was entirely at his mercy.

Naraku chuckled at her muted whimpers. "Well, well. Who knew the virginal Kikyō was such a wanton whore." He grinned maliciously, leaning in to whisper in her ear as he cut into her vulnerable breast. His touch elicited an anguished gasp from her lips. "Do you want to be fucked until you're nothing more than a broken, bleeding shell? Fucked until all that's left is a vacant stare on your face?" He savagely pulled her head back farther, straining the tendons in her neck. "Do you?"

Her sob died on her lips as the pain inside her head erupted anew and blocked out any other agony his ministrations produced. The throbbing cancer didn't spread gradually, but unfurled like a tornado, crashing through her brain until it demolished everything in its wake. Unable to acknowledge anything other than the plague inside her skull, her paralysis shattered in an instant and she burst from his torturous embrace, power sparking. She pulled her frayed clothes together and squinted past the jumping nerves of her eyes. Her vision blurred him into a wobbling dark spot in the room. "Curse you, Naraku."

He watched her curiously, wringing his singed hands. "Is something the matter, Kikyō?"

"Yes!" She hissed as she pressed her free hand to her forehead. She was supposed to be killing him to avenge herself. She was supposed to be the one with Inuyasha. She was supposed to be protecting the Sacred Jewel. She was supposed to be killing Naraku's minions, not helping them undermine their master. She was supposed to have her entire soul...

She was supposed to be  _alive_!

She wasn't strong enough to kill him, lacked the power needed to purify the wretched creature before her, and there was only one person that could remedy that particular problem. "Kagome's always getting in my way!"

"You don't say." Naraku crossed his arms and watched her boil with wrath. "It sounds like you and I have the same dilemma."

She snared his red eyes, openly seething. "How so?"

"I need the shard she protects, but every tactic I have tried so far has come up empty. She refuses to die and that meddlesome half-breed always gets in the way."

Kikyō cackled insanely at him. "They made a fool of you." She bent over and grasped her knees with the power of her laughter. "How pathetic!"

He didn't seem to take notice. "She is  _your_  reincarnation."

The seemingly deranged priestess sobered instantly. Kikyō's aching brain made a few very swift deductions. "Leave Inuyasha to me and I'll help you destroy Kagome."

"Do I have your word?" He moved closer again, a lewd gleam in his eyes.

She smiled despite the nervous clenching of her stomach. "Don't worry, Naraku. You'll get your turn when I'm finished with the girl. You are safe from me until that time."

"Excellent." He casually reached over to slide his fingers along her collarbone. He absently sucked the blood off those digits, delighted to see her look away with disgust – or fear. "Remember what happened here: if you cross me, those erotic little fantasies dancing around in your head will come true." He smirked. "I look forward to seeing you soon, Kikyō."

Kikyō watched him disappear deeper into his mountain hideaway, fumbling with the shredded fabric of her haori, know there was little doubt of that.

* * *

"Thanks again for letting us borrow Shunsoku."

Kagome smiled at Sango. "It’s no problem, I felt like walking anyways." She watched Miroku and Sango ride double for a moment, happy her horse was actually behaving for once. "Shunsoku doesn't mind either." She grinned when the gray rolled his eye to glance at her; the look he gave clearly stated that he didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.

"Well, Shunsoku," Miroku patted the horse's loosely swinging hip, "my sore feet are indebted to you."

Shunsoku snorted and continued to walk along, ignoring them all.

Shippō, the one leading him down the path, adopted a sympathetic air when he spoke. "Oh, you'll get used to it, Shunsoku. They’re all users, just ask Kirara. She'll tell you all about it."

The cat in question cooed from her nest in Sango's lap.

Kagome strode up beside the kit and ruffled his auburn locks. "Lighten up, Shippō, before someone takes offense."

He swatted her hands. "There's only one person who'd get offended by that and I don't particularly care."

"Shippō," she snapped in a tone that brooked no argument. "You are not allowed to rag on Inuyasha anymore. I'm not mad at him. He's not mad at me. Everything has been forgiven. Stop being so immature and mind your own business."

He gazed at her in shock. "But I...I was just-"

Kagome shook her head. "Sometimes you push it too far." She turned and nodded to the couple on horseback. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to walk with Inuyasha."

Sango sighed and watched her drop back, turning to glance at Shippō's incredulous expression. "She's right."

Miroku hummed in agreement over her shoulder. "Mmm."

Shippō groaned and glanced at Shunsoku. "We just can't win."

* * *

Inuyasha opened his eyes when Kagome's scent floated by his nose – it was still as pristine as it had been that morning. He'd been paranoid about it suddenly changing ever since the night before.

_One minute he'd been slashing through the vile Kagome look alike, and the next he was lying on top of the real deal – he even had an un-transformed Tessaiga in his hand where it rested above her head. Leaning back, he inspected their surroundings at the fullest extent of each of his senses. Only the normal forest sounds – insects chirping, birds singing – reached his ears as they flicked back and forth. The bitterly sour stench of Naraku was gone; Kagome's spiced aroma was the only scent assailing his nostrils. Nothing threatening caught his sharp eye, so he returned his gaze to her serene face._

_"Hi." She blinked at him thoughtfully, staring as if he'd done something strange. It was then that he realized just how tightly they were pressed together, his hips effectively pinning hers to the ground – and he would have to have been an inert lifeform to miss the sensuous feel of her breasts brushing against his chest. Blushing awkwardly, he started to get up. "Sorry-"_

_"No!" Bolting upward, she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him back down. "Don't go."_

_Inuyasha let go of Tessaiga and slid his hands to rest beside her shoulders in the grass. "I'm not going anywhere, Kagome. I was just going to get off of you."_

_She shook her head, burying her face deeper into his silver tresses. "No, just stay a minute."_

_The command struck him as odd and he couldn't stop the involuntary tension in his back. "Did I do something wrong?"_

_"No." Her long fingers smoothed over his shoulders to wind in his hair. "I need to make sure you're real and not a cruel figment of my imagination."_

_Inuyasha flicked the ear tilted in the direction of her voice. "Believe me, I'm real." He slipped his hands to her shoulders, gently levering his torso up. "Don't you feel how heavy I am?"_

_Her arms were still tense and reluctant to release him from their hold. "Yes, but I don't mind."_

_Her teeth snuck out of her mouth to worry her full lower lip as her eyes gazed at him expectantly. He wasn't sure what she was searching for, but figured a smile couldn't hurt._

_Kagome's dark, mahogany eyes softened in response to his warmth and her hands slid down to encircle his wrists where he still held her shoulders. "I don't mind at all. Being close to you, like this, it...it makes me feel safe."_

_All at once, the anxious beat of his heart eased and any awkwardness between them disappeared. Kagome had always been a strong woman, with a courageous will and steely determination, but she wasn’t invulnerable. He reveled at being gifted the role of protector, content to spend the rest of his days watching over her even if they were at odds - if he wanted to face the bald truth, he was bred to be a loyal guardian; it was in his blood as an inu-hanyō. He wasn't about the skirt the truth because there was nothing she could ask of him that he wouldn't do. From his dog's perspective, she was his master and he lived to please and protect her. He'd tried to deny it at first, and had continued to do so until the day she left._

_After spending the last five years living and breathing only because he knew one day she'd come back, he was done lying to himself. The duality of his nature would always be at odds, but he could not ignore the yōkai part of him that was placated by her presence._

_Inuyasha eased the tension in his arms, lowering his weight onto his elbows on either side of her. "How many times do I have to I have to tell you? I will_ always _protect you." He snared her fingers and entwined them with his own. "Stop trying to fight your battles alone."_

_She rolled her head to the right, staring at the bow lying in the grass. "Sometimes the battles are mine and must be fought alone." She turned back to him when he growled quietly. "Do you remember the bandits I killed?"_

_His objection was instantly silenced by her shimmering gaze. "Yes."_

_"That way my fight and I managed it alone – not very well, but I did." She squeezed his hands as she sniffled. "But you know what? Even though I knew I had to do it myself, it didn't stop me from wishing that you were there with me." She blinked back her tears. "Just now, I wasn't sure I could get myself out of that mess alone – and it was my mess, don’t you dare try to say otherwise – but I wasn’t sure I could save myself."_

_"But you did," Inuyasha dropped his forehead against hers. "You told me exactly what I had to do." He inhaled the scent of her tears. "It's okay to need help."_

_"You never need it."_

_He grinned bemusedly. "Kagome, I need_ lots _of help. Trust me."_

_Her momentary pout faded away as she smiled. "I do trust you...with my life."_

He had debated whether to ask if she trusted him with her heart as well, but as fate would have it, Shunsoku chose that moment to scare them both nearly to death by popping out of the nearby underbrush. Suffice it to say, the atmosphere was lost and he was left to continue wondering about the condition of their relationship. He wanted to ask her, but suddenly found speaking on that subject awkward; he had long acknowledged the fact that  _he_ needed Kagome to need  _him_ , but he wasn't sure if she realized that yet – and Kagome had grown so much more capable that he often felt like he was a hindrance more than anything.

Communication was their real problem.

While their thoughts and feelings seemed to remain behind their respectively closed doors, there was an openness between them that hadn't existed before. Neither of them were hesitant to touch the other in front of their companions as they had before. It seemed that despite their inability to convey with words what they needed, both of them were more than willing to seek physical comfort in the other. After collecting themselves and joining the others at camp, Kagome had no reservations about situating herself in his lap and wrapping them both with his repaired, fire-rat haori as they discussed Shippō's big find. After a few seconds of uncertainty, he hadn't minded either.

Sango had stared curiously, but always the reserved one, caught herself and stopped. He knew she had questions, but the yōkai-taijiya was a private person; she would never think to intrude on someone else's business. He figured she would wait until Kagome offered up the answers herself. Miroku didn't bat an eye, but Inuyasha wasn't fooled. Eventually, his curiosity would get the better of him and he would be forced to endure his ridiculous advice.

Shippō had just been too enthralled with his discovery to notice.

Which brought him back to the present and the enticing sight of Kagome's curved backside through the flapping tails of her two-tone haori as she bent over to inspect the ground. While the thought of running his hand along her body was tempting, he figured he wouldn't push his luck. Sidling up beside her, he placed his hand on the side of her hip. Kagome straightened back up and leaned into his body and he took her relaxed reaction as a greenlight to slip his arm around her waist. She crossed her arms and stared thoughtfully. "We're going in the right direction. She stopped here to rest." She pointed to the darkened splotches in the dirt. "See how the blood drops are more like small puddles?"

"Yeah, there's no doubt about it." He curled his hand around her slim waist until she fell back into his shoulder. "Rin's on her way to the village."

Kagome shivered. "She's looking for help." She rubbed her upper arms to chase away her goose bumps. "I'm worried about her." Tugging at his arm, she moved out of his reach and started after the others. "I have no idea what your brother was thinking when he cast her off like that. Naraku's targeted her before, so what would have stopped him from doing it again?"

Inuyasha slid his arms into his wide belled sleeves. "Keh, it's because she's a human."

"That never seemed to be an issue before. I thought he enjoyed having her around," She glanced over her shoulder at him thoughtfully. "I mean, otherwise she would never have been with him to begin with."

He looked at her skeptically. "Who are you trying to convince?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You know him better than I do."

"Ha! That's a stretch and you know it."

Kagome sent him an icy glare. "Inuyasha..."

"Alright, relax." He sighed. "I saw Sesshōmaru a few days before you came back and asked him about Rin because he came alone. He didn't answer me, but just mentioning her name had him acting like a dick. He even had the balls to jump my case about-" Inuyasha realized what he was saying and cut himself off.

"About what, Inuyasha?" Kagome stopped walking and turned to face him, halting him in his tracks. "Inuyasha..."

He glanced away at the neighboring trees. "You, alright?"

"Oh." She blinked. "I didn't think he cared."

The hanyō growled and stalked past her, bumping into her shoulder to spin her around. "Don't start thinking he's Mr. Wonderful, because he's a right prick."

"Mmm, and you were obviously Mr. Nice Guy."

Inuyasha froze and whirled around peevishly. "Whose side are you on? Sesshōmaru's a heartless bastard and he left Rin alone and unprotected. How the hell does that make me the fucking bad guy?"

Kagome rocked her head back and stared at the clouds, praying for an infinite amount of patience. "I. Am. Not. Taking. Sides." Returning her mahogany gaze to his flaring amber orbs, she grasped the sides of her head in frustration. "I was merely stating that your impulsive behavior doesn't help when dealing with Sesshōmaru. You let him push your buttons too much."

The hanyō huffed. "Keh. He was ragging my ass, so I returned the favor." He clenched his fists at his sides in an attempt to calm down. “I got the fucker's number too, since he didn't have shit to say after that."

She barely blinked an eye at his language – a key indication that Sesshōmaru had more than ruffled his feathers – and rolled her eyes at the smugness oozing from his pores. Striding past him, she tapped her chin in thought, wrapping a hand around the wide, leather strap of her quiver and keeping her eyes trained to the path ahead of her. “There must something between them still.”

Inuyasha watched curiously as she nearly disappeared from his sight. Realizing he was being left behind, he dashed after her to catch up. "Oi, what the hell do you do mean?"

Kagome glanced at him with a soft laugh. "You're as clueless as ever." She reached over and gave the ear closest to her a soft tug. "There's still a connection between them – it's what makes Rin so determined to find him, and consequently, what makes Sesshōmaru keep her away."

He eyed her warily. "I didn’t get half of that gibberish."

"Okay." She took a deep breath, blew it out, and began. "You and I have a connection, one that remains regardless of the time apart or distance between us. With me so far?" She continued at his annoyed nod. "Well, Sesshōmaru and Rin obviously have one too. But unlike us, one of them doesn't want to have that bond."

"So the dumbass sends her away in an attempt to sever it, but Rin refuses to give it up."

Kagome gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Very good."

Inuyasha glared at her. "I'm not an idiot."

She laughed heartily. "I never said you were." She snatched his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Let's just say, you wouldn't make a very good teenage girl."

"Well, that's a relief." He snorted derisively.

Kagome giggled and playfully patted his chest. "Yeah, that would take some adjusting."

"I’m sure you’d just love- Kagome?" Inuyasha glanced at her with concern when her hands fell limply from his side. She'd stopped walking, or even blinking, staring pointedly at the rooftops of the village on the other side of the hill. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Kagome?"

"I..." She swallowed awkwardly.

He immediately scented the air, searching for that familiar sour smell. "It's not Naraku again, is it? Kagome?" There was something else he recognized lingering in the air, but it was faint and mired in the much more potent scent of Rin’s blood. "What is it, Kagome?"

"I can sense shards of the jewel, but..." She started moving forward involuntarily.

"But what?" He jogged alongside her as she increased her pace.

"The shards, they're tainted."

The hanyō turned his gaze back to the village. "Shards? There's more than one?"

"Yes!" Kagome was now in a full-out sprint, pulling her bow out of her quiver with an arrow at the ready. "Kōga's down there and something’s wrong!"

"I can handle him."

She shot him an annoyed look as they ran. "Sure,  _you_  can.” Kagome huffed as her breath grew labored. “But what about the others? They went on ahead of us."

Kagome was right and even as he felt his nerves jump, Sango's Hiraikotsu slashed out into the sky above the village. He watched fastidiously as the yōkai-taijiya rushed into view on the back of Kirara, an enormous whirlwind giving chase. It was only a matter of seconds before the speedy ōkami-yōkai caught up and smashed the duo to the ground. Inuyasha ripped Tessaiga from its sheath as he watched Koga ready for the kill. "Shit!"

Kagome skidded to a stop, caught him in her sights and didn't hesitate to take the shot. She watched calmly as he was nearly killed, dodging the arrow at the last possible second. Kōga dropped into the canopy of a tall oak to stare in her direction – even at their distance she could see the slightly deranged gleam in his aquamarine gaze. "Inuyasha, we need to draw his attention to us before Miroku or Sango decide to resume their fight. We're the only ones strong enough to knock him out."

Inuyasha thought it was much easier to just kill the bastard, but instead of speaking his thoughts, he just nodded and widened his stance. He cleared his mind of everything but the attack he wanted, and once again reveled in the mystical transformation of his sword; the glittering blade's multiple facets flashed as he pulled it down behind him and swept it upward in one, fluid motion.

" _Kongosoha_!"

The careening spears obliterated the top half of the tree's full upper branches, but missed the swift ōkami-yōkai as he disappeared to the ground below. Kagome tapped into her powers and easily picked him out. "He's definitely on his way, so be ready."

"Please, this is Kōga we're talking about." He held the Tessaiga in a firm, one-handed grip as he turned to look at her. "When has he ever been able to best me?"

"Inuyasha, will you please pay-" Kagome watched a flash of black and tan slam into the hanyō. "Inuyasha!"

The inu-hanyō in question lay pinned beneath a savagely snarling creature he'd once known as Kōga, the ōkami-yōkai prince. His sword arm was twisted painfully into his back, Tessaiga pressed dangerously close to his spine. Struggling to get loose, the scent of his assailant hit his nose and he nearly gagged – the overwhelming wash of blood and decay made him curse his enhanced senses for the first time in his life. Kōga reeked of death and rot, and Inuyasha could feel the filth on Koga's skin. His breath blew into the dirt as he fought to release his snared limbs, throwing his head back in an attempt to smash it into the wolf's face. Kōga, on the other hand, was using every ounce of his strength to hold him, clawing into his limbs to make sure he remained contained.

Kōga’s enraged snarl hummed in his ears. "Get off me you damn mangy wolf!"

Suddenly, he was no longer being restrained, the hands pinning him down easing their death grip. Inuyasha turned his head as he leapt out from underneath the wolf, blinking in shock as he watched Kagome lift Koga into a kneeling position by the throat.

Her brown eyes were slated and fierce, boring into her quarry's as she squeezed. "You will stop now, or you won’t take another breath."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: wounds, blood, and dubious consent (due to possession).

_“God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet_

* * *

Miroku ran blindly, slashing his Shakujō at random to clear a path ahead of him. He paid attention to nothing but the claws of dread snaring his heart.

It had been an ambush.

His eyes burned as the blood from the nasty gash along his hairline seeped down his face. The entire thing had been one elaborate trap. The monk continued his break neck pace, the sight of his wife plummeting through the air like a limp doll seared into his retinas.

Despite his frantic pace, his mind slid back...

_The village looked abandoned, nothing but the wind stirring amongst the hollow huts. As they cautiously made their way through it, every one of them caught the sound of soft humming on the breeze._

_Shippō gulped from his perch on Shunsoku's back. "That's really creepy."_

_Miroku glanced around. "I'd have to agree with you on that one."_

_"Where do you think it's coming from?" Sango stabbed her Hiraikotsu into the dirt, swiftly removing her kimono and revealing her tight slayer-garb. Opening up the small blue sling from around her shoulders, she strapped on her armor, boots, and wakizashi before straightening up and pulling back her hair. "This place looks deserted."_

_Shippō seemed to suddenly freeze, mouth dropping open to show off a neat pair of shiny, white fangs. "I've heard this before!"_

_The adults turned to gaze expectantly at him and ask simultaneously, "Where?"_

_"When Inuyasha and I were on our way to your house, we met up with Rin on the trail." He blinked nervously. "She was humming then, too."_

_Miroku nodded and glanced at his wife. "Let's go."_

_Together, they followed the soft sound, leaving Shippō to tend Shunsoku with Kirara. Slowly, but surely, they made their way to what appeared to be the elaborately decorated home of the late village headman. Standing at the bottom of the lacquered steps, the hauntingly alluring sound captured them both at rapt attention._

He should have known it right then. Miroku's chest heaved as the sweat poured down his back in waves. It had been wrong from the onset.

 _They climbed the stairs side by side, hearts beating in sync with the anticipation flooding their blood. Sango, her lithe body strung tight as a bowstring, gave him a tense glance before reaching for the sliding door. He gave her a reassuring nod, moving to stand opposite her, and watched her mouth the words:_ _'One, two, three!'_

_In a single fluid motion, the two of them threw open the doors and charged into the front room._

It seemed so obvious now. The more he remembered, the more sure he became that they had been set up. She had been waiting for them to come like a tiger crouching for the kill. Miroku gritted his teeth as he pushed himself to the limit.

They'd been doomed from the start.

_The only light filling the room was the sunshine spilling in through the double doors behind them, alighting the source of the hum. The focused light illuminated her pale skin in a pearlescent glow, its milky surface marred by a heavy slathering of blood and filth. Her long ebony locks had lost their luster, hanging down her back in twisted, greasy ropes. Her deplorable condition was made all the more bewitching because she was nude, all remnants of her clothing nonexistent._

_His eyes adjusted to the different lighting and it made it easier to discern the numerous cuts and scrapes riddling her arms and legs. She kneeled demurely in the center of the room, showing no signs that she even knew they had intruded, and gazed upon the shadowed end of the room as she hummed gently. Her pitiful state made it very easy for him to overlook the sight of her exposed flesh, feeling nothing but uncomfortable for the girl._

_Sango glanced over at him in obvious confusion, brows knitted tightly on her fiercely delicate face. He could only shrug in response; he had no better clue as to what was going on than she did._

_Inuyasha had told them that Rin was no longer the sprite-like girl she'd been, but he couldn't bring himself to believe the broken creature before him was that precious child. Moving tentatively, he side-stepped around her to the left in a wide arc in an effort to see her face. He found himself gaping with shock._

_Inuyasha had been right; Rin was in the village. He could see her shining out of the woman's blank, un-seeing eyes as she rocked subtly. He had to admit she had grown up into a stunning woman, but her empty, doll-like expression worried him. Ever so cautiously, he reached out his hand to touch her bare shoulder._

_The melodic lullaby ceased. Moving back, he and Sango pulled their weapons tighter in instinctual defense and waited tensely._

Miroku couldn't get enough air into his lungs. Stumbling to a standstill, he clutched at the stubborn cramp in his ribs and bent over gasping for breath.

"I…should’ve…paid more…attention." Grimacing, he swiped his left wrist across his forehead to dispel the heavy wetness he felt there.

It wasn't until his wide, gray eyes saw the tacky blood that he remembered the throbbing cut on his forehead. It was still oozing blood, unable to clot because of his heart's frantic pace, nausea and vertigo rising up as well. Hacking a cough past the stitch in his side, he resumed his pursuit because he knew Sango had suffered worse and he needed to get to her before it was too late.

_Rin's head tipped in his direction in an eerie, puppet-like motion, a tangle of oily hair sliding over her shoulder and baring her naked breast to his view. Averting his gaze, he focused on the emptiness in her light brown eyes and shivered when a smile spread across her face._

_Sango moved up on the girl's right and watched nervously. "Rin?"_

_She didn't seem to notice, continuing to drill fear into him with her vacant stare. Miroku swallowed awkwardly and jerked his eyes to his wife's face, needing something to stamp down the chill that had risen in his chest._

_In that instant, the all-consuming apprehension vanished at the sight of her panicked expression. It was something he'd never seen swirling in her enchanting violet eyes before, and seeing it helped to clear his head._

_This was Sango, the unflappable yōkai-taijiya that could always be counted on in a fight, the woman that used her emotions as a weapon and didn't allow them to paralyze her. She was staring at him in bald-faced fear, unnerved by the girl kneeling on the floor and terrified that she was losing him._

_Miroku's jaw clenched and he sent her a hard stare. Sango may be a strong fighter, but even the best felt the numbing call of fear when the odds were stacked against them; he couldn't succumb to the temptation to flee when they worked as a team and she relied on his support._

_Taking a deep breath, he reached out and jerked the grinning doll to her feet. "Rin, can you hear me?"_

_A severe frown carved into her elegant face, eyes drifting vaguely to the hand clutching her upper arm. Uncaring of her nudity, she wrapped her long fingers around his hand, and with a strength belied by her fragile appearance, peeled away his grip. "You're not Inuyasha."_

He realized too late that the danger was greater than he thought. The bone-crushing hold on his hand had awakened his dormant – suppressed, really – spiritual awareness to sense the thick cloud of evil swirling around the naked girl's spirit. Everything had suddenly made sense then: the emptiness in the village, her neglected body and lack of cognition, and the pervasive grip of wrongness that gripped her.

He had jerked his widened eyes to Sango, too little too late; she had already made her fateful choice and he was powerless to stop her.

_Her twin voids narrowed almost imperceptibly and she threw him with an unnatural force into the wall, whirling to catch Sango's wrist mid-swing. "Naughty, naughty girl. Where are your manners?”_

_Sango staggered back in shock, pulling at her arm. "Let go!"_

_Rin giggled girlishly and he watched the blood drain from Sango's face from his huddled position on the floor. His wife's mouth dropped in horror, her body trembling as she buckled to her knees before the possessed and squalid woman._

_Her eyelids fluttered frantically, tears pooling in her distraught violet eyes. Rin did nothing more than merely hold her wrist, but it looked as if she was twisting a dagger into Sango's heart. After a few moments, Rin released her and moved to caress her cheek. "There now, that should make you behave."_

He'd only been able to gape at them. The monk had no idea what the spooky, unclad woman had done to his wife, but seeing her reduced to nothing more than a mewling, traumatized child had spurred him to act.

It had been the worst thing he could’ve done, with what was lurking in the shadows.

_“Sango!" Miroku bolted up off the floor, shutting out the squalls of pain in his back. Raising his Shakujō, he aimed for the unfortunate girl's head._

_However, she was faster than he anticipated, pulling Sango's wakizashi from its scabbard and slashing upwards as she spun. The pain was fiery and acute, back-peddling him to his previous location near the wall as his blood cascaded down his face. Wincing, he stared at the weapon pointed skyward and the sight of her with only her thick hair to cover her soft breasts. The latter hardly even penetrated his brain as he watched Sango leap upwards._

_"No! Sango!"_

_Rin spun again, cutting down at his wife as she lunged. Sango saw the movement and pulled back quick enough to save herself from disembowelment, but still sustained a significant slash to her midsection. Jerking her Hiraikotsu around her shoulder, she blocked Rin's following swipe with a resounding clack. Sango pressed a hand to her abdomen and glanced angrily at the rusty blood staining her fingers. "That's_ my _blade."_

_Rin leapt backwards, her eyes finally gleaming with rage as she crouched in the shadows leading to the room she'd been gazing at earlier._

_"You will be punished!" She grinned maniacally. "I have something special for a naughty girl like you." Her demented laughter was joined by a hair-raising snarl from the darkness behind her._

_Miroku watched with growing dread as something moved in the shadows, advancing slowly until a pair of red-rimmed, blue eyes blazed into view. He knew what was coming, but still wasn't able to shout to Sango before Kōga launched himself at her. The slayer gasped in shock and managed to shield her throat from his fangs with her Hiraikotsu. His attack threw her to the ground as he snarled rabidly over her face, strings of hot, slimy salvia drooling onto her skin. Sango grunted as she beat away his hands as they tried to pin her down. "Miroku!"_

_He rushed to her aid only to receive a savage kick to his ribs. Gagging from the force of Kōga's blow, he smashed the sharpened ring of his Shakujō into the wolf's cheek, splitting it open with a splash of crimson and throwing him off his wife._

_Before he could catch his breath and inquire to her condition, he was descended upon by an enraged Rin, all signs of her former humanity gone. She slashed at him with perfected strokes, moving seamlessly from one to the other, an inarticulate sound of frustration rising from her throat._

_He blocked her easily; years of practice with Sango had made him a near expert with weaponry. Unable to break away, he spied Sango on her feet and battling back against the disturbed ōkami-yōkai they'd once known as Kōga._

_Suddenly, the roof was shattering down around them as her Hiraikotsu slammed the wolf out of the headman's house. Sango was off and running through the door in hot pursuit before he could shout to stop her._

_Momentarily distracted, Rin took advantage of the confusion to jab the wakizashi into the tender flesh of his chest. His reaction was involuntary, bringing his Shakujō up into her taut abdomen and twirling the staff to smack the back of her head when she bent forward to gasp. He felt nothing as he watched her crumple._

What had come next would haunt him forever.

_Dashing back outside, Miroku whipped his head back and forth in search of Sango. A familiar, hissing snarl rent through the air and he looked up to see Kirara with Sango aboard. He couldn't see Kōga, that was, until the wolf whirled out from the demolished rubble of a hut and shot into the air. Sango gritted her teeth and whipped her boomerang. "Hiraikotsu!"_

_Kōga disappeared in a tornado of wind and rematerialized, springing off the spinning bone and propelling himself at them. Miroku watched in alarm as Kirara saw him too late. "Sango!"_

_His shout fell on deaf ears as Kōga’s fist collided with her chin, lifting her off the neko-yōkai's back and sending her careening into the woods. Kirara fared no better, catching a vicious heel to the ribs and following her partner into the trees._

Where Kōga had disappeared to after that, he didn't know, nor did he particularly care. He vaguely remembered shouting for Shippō to track down Inuyasha as he dashed into the woods after his wife. He registered nothing but the knowledge that he needed to find her and keep her safe.

Miroku looked around wildly, his weakened legs tripping over themselves as he turned and sending him into the dirt. He lay still, desperately trying to ignore the exhaustion compelling him to stay prone. His muscles failed to heed his command, his efforts to regain his footing proving futile.

Jaw clenching, he forced himself back up, relying on his Shakujō to keep his balance. "No, I won't give in until I know she's alright."

Lurching forward, his weakened legs failed to gain any purchase and he flopped back down to the ground in a tangle of robes. Unconsciousness hovered over him, snatches of black dancing passed his eyes. Miroku groaned and attempted to pull his arms under himself. An intense frown creased his forehead when he wasn't able to push himself up; his arms wouldn't work. His brain was telling them to push his body up so he could get moving again, but they would not respond.

Miroku took a shallow breath and watched it flutter the blades of grass near his mouth, realizing the injury to his head was worse than he’d first thought.

His eyelids drooped as he murmured, "Help me out, Sango." His body grew heavy, the tension running down his spine easing as he flirted with incapacitation. "Show me...where you are." Miroku's eyes slid shut, succumbing to the haze clutching his brain.

* * *

 

The priestess trained her eyes on the livid face of the wolf she was restraining. Kagome watched Kōga's expression contort with rage, and although he made no move to resist, she could tell that there was nothing he wanted to do more.

The Kōga she knew would never in his right mind try to harm her.

She couldn't help a frustrated sneer. The longer she gazed into his ruddy face, the fresh slash in his cheek matching the color of his flashing eyes, the angrier she became. Kōga never would have attacked her human companions like that unless someone else was calling the shots; Naraku’s treachery, it appeared, knew no bounds.

Her eyes drifted down to his legs, folded under him as he kneeled. The nearly black light cast off from his severely tainted shards unfurled the deep knot of her power just by being in their presence. She felt a pang of pity as Kōga did not have the aid of purification powers to keep Naraku at bay.

Kagome was so occupied in her perusal, she had yet to notice the hands twitching at the wolf's sides. Inuyasha felt his vocal chords tighten in a deep growl. He had allowed her the chance to handle the rabid animal and he didn't relish being berated for intruding on 'her battle', but it was quickly becoming apparent that the situation was getting away from her.

He stalked closer to the wolf, catching the yōkai's attention and pinning him with a deadly stare. "What are you doing, Kagome? Waiting for an invitation?"

She blinked slowly, eyes drifting between Kōga and the enormous fang held tightly in his grip, just waiting to strike down the wolf. "Back away, Inuyasha."

Her whispered command had him momentarily pulling his gaze from Kōga and looking upon her stern visage with confusion. "Back away?"

Kagome reluctantly flicked her eyes away to glare at him. "Yes. Back away, Inuyasha. I won't tell you again."

"No."

Her empty hand clenched a tight fist. "I don't want you anywhere near shards this evil! I will not allow you to fall under their power!"

"Oh, so it's alright for you to play with fire?" His tawny eyes narrowed menacingly. "Fuck that."

"It's my job to deal with tainted shards, you idiot!" Kagome felt her power billow up as her anger got the better of her. She swallowed thickly. "Your yōki is too susceptible to a power this intense. I don't want you transforming and becoming possessed like Kōga."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Feh, like I'd let something like that happen. How stupid can you be, Kagome?"

"Worrying about your life isn't stupid! Gods, you're an ingrate!" She spoke through clenched teeth. "The only reason you're acting like an ass is because of Kōga."

"I'm the ass? You're the one trying to be sympathetic to a  _yōkai_  that's  _still_ wearing the blood of his victims all over him."

Kagome started to argue, but found herself turning her troubled umber eyes back to Kōga. Hadn't she just told herself that? Kōga was no better right now than Inuyasha was when he transformed. In her heart, she knew Inuyasha had a point, but it didn't stop her mind from trying to deny what it was seeing.

Kōga was a trusted friend and ally. She knew when he found out what he'd done under Naraku's control, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Kagome knew why she was hesitating: she didn't know whether to save him and deal with his rage and disappointment, or to just give him a humane death. She couldn't ask Inuyasha. She knew what he would say. Kagome wanted to stomp her feet in toddler-like frustration.

"Come on, Kagome. Just put the fool out of his misery." Inuyasha's voice softened at the sight of her struggle. He knew exactly what she was thinking because it was written all over her face. She wanted to save him, but wasn't sure Kōga would be able to deal with what he had done.

The hanyō watched her despairing eyes start to twinkle and knew without scenting the air that she was trying not to cry. The entire reason Kōga had given up attacking mortals was because he met Kagome, and Inuyasha knew she blamed herself for what Kōga would inevitably feel if he were saved.

His clawed hand griped Tessaiga’s ragged hilt, annoyed that the wolf had allowed himself to get caught.

He stared into the ōkami-yōkai's turquoise gaze, rimmed with red, and watched the caged resentment of a trapped animal spiral through it. Something about that look struck a familiar chord within him. Sighing, he shut his eyes to the pitiful sight in front of him. "Kagome, please just kill him. You and I both know that Kōga will forgive you for it."

Kagome stared at him aghast. "You don't know that!"

"Yes,” he nodded somberly, “I do. Kōga would never blame you for killing him now and saving him the pain of reality."

"No!" She shouted at him irately. How could he sound so rational? How could he just assume what Kōga would feel? She shook her head. "No, I can't do it. I can't kill him."

"Why not?" He was growling again.

Kagome gave up trying to stop her tears of frustration from spilling over and wept openly. "I couldn't live with myself if I did! I couldn't bear the thought of him hating me because I didn't try to save him. His soul would be tortured by resentment and betrayal. I don't want that for Kōga!"

"You have to do it."

"I don't  _have_  to do anything, but I will. I'll save him and if he wants me to end his life afterward, fine, but I refuse to make that decision for him."

Only one of them was aware of Kagome's loosening hold, the strong fingers slowly losing their grip as her attention became more and more focused on the argument. Lips curling back in a silent snarl, Kōga decided it was time to make his move. Quick as lightning, he sank his fangs into the priestess's wrist and savored the bloom of blood in his mouth.

Kagome cried out in surprise and instinctually pulled back on her arm, tearing her delicate wrist from his jaws as Inuyasha tackled the wolf. She knew her jerking reaction had succeeded in making the wound worse, and wrapped her left hand around her lacerated right wrist. She didn't know  _how bad_  it was because all she could feel was a distant thud at end of her arm and a thick wetness leeching between her fingers. A nervous sweat broke out over her back as she vacantly watched the snarling men grapple in the dirt.

She dreaded looking at it, even as her traitorous eyes drifted lower and lower down her arm. She paled and croaked out, "Oh, gods..."

Blood oozed out of the cracks between her fingers in a steady flow, staining both of her hands and dripping to splatter the ground. Kagome felt the urge to vomit.

She couldn't actually see the wound itself, but now that her eyes had taken in the sight, her hand could feel the torn flesh under her palm. She tore her eyes away and looked up. "Inuyasha..."

The hanyō in question was otherwise occupied, stuck on the receiving end of Kōga's merciless assault. His nose was bleeding all over his face and there was a sizeable bruise on his cheek. She watched him block and dodge, and suddenly froze with enlightenment: his hands were empty. Head whipping around, she caught a flashing glint of light to her right and saw Tessaiga stuck in the trunk of a robust tree.

"Oh, no..." Kagome jerked her eyes back to see Inuyasha stumble back from the force of Kōga's kick, clutching his midsection. Both combatants were bleeding from various wounds, but she knew that Inuyasha was feeling them more than Kōga was; the tainted shards made the wolf impervious to pain or exhaustion, and she could see the hanyō growing more and more desperate to keep up.

Suddenly her wounds stopped hurting and ceased to take precedence in her brain, all thoughts turning to subduing Kōga before Inuyasha lost control. Releasing the vice-like grip on her injured wrist, she groaned as the air stung the open wounds.

Digging into her quiver, she pulled out the remaining bit of red kimono fabric and swiftly wrapped it around her wrist, knotting it with her teeth. She winced as the cloth tightened and made sure she couldn't feel her fingertips when she was done. Her blood quickly seeped through the makeshift bandage. Kagome disregarded the garish sight and snatched up her discarded bow. Selecting an arrow from her quiver, her numbed fingers fumbled with the weapon as she notched it and pulled back the string as best as her weakened arm would allow.

Setting her sights on the ōkami-yōkai, she waited for him to finish slamming his heel into the side of Inuyasha's rib cage to fire. The arrow flared brightly as it flew, a bit more to the right than she wanted, and cut through the fleshy part of Kōga's right thigh. The wolf's leg buckled and he howled in pain. The arrow did little damage to slow him down, but her spiritual power paralyzed the muscles. She smoothly set another and shot that one as well, winging his left biceps. Kagome watched grimly as her power did its job, taking away the advantage he held over Inuyasha. A direct shot to his body would kill him, but a through-and-through would simply slow him down.

She made sure Kōga was immobilized for the moment and dashed over to where Inuyasha stood clutching his side. Wrapping a supportive arm around his waist, she looked up into his battered face. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, but kept his eyes trained on Kōga. "Yeah, but the bastard broke my ribs. It hurts to breathe."

"I'm sorry. I should have just done what you told me." She glanced over to where Tessaiga was caught in the tree. "You need Tessaiga before your yōkai blood surfaces."

Inuyasha shook his head. "My dog won't come. I think it senses the shards." The inu-yōkai had wanted to take over when Kōga had busted his nose, but the second he felt the power flood his body, it disappeared. After that, his dog had paced restlessly inside his body and only watched.

Kagome frowned at him. "This is the second time you said something about your ‘dog'. What the hell are you talk-"

"Get down!" Inuyasha shoved her away as the wolf lunged, catching the demon's full weight in the chest. He grimaced past the piercing pains in his torso, grasping Kōga's shoulders with his claws as he fell back. Digging them into his shoulders, the hanyō pulled his legs up and took Kōga's weight on the balls of his feet.

Inuyasha thrust out with both legs when he hit the ground, using the wolf's momentum to propel him up, over him, and into the large tree behind his head. Kōga let out a pained yelp and crumbled to the ground. Inuyasha panted through the stabbing sensation in his chest, hoping fervently that he hadn't punctured a lung.

"Inuyasha, hurry!" Kagome darted past him toward the wolf with Tessaiga in her hands.

Growling, he rolled over and waited until his vision settled before following her. "What the hell are you doing?"

She knelt beside the unconscious wolf prince. "I need you to restrain him for me."

"Yeah, sure. That won't be hard at all." He snapped at her sarcastically. "In case you haven't noticed, I can barely fucking breathe!"

Kagome watched him flinch and suppress a strong cough. "I know and I'm so sorry to ask this of you, but I only have one shot at doing this right. I need you to hold him in case he wakes up." She clenched the sword tighter when he just stared at her. "I swear I'll make it up to you."

Rolling his annoyed amber eyes, the hanyō stepped closer to the wolf and bent down to slip his arms under Kōga's, lacing his fingers together behind the wolf's head. "You better."

Once he had Kōga in the tight hold, she forced herself to ignore Inuyasha's ragged wheezing and focused on what she was about to do. Angling the tip of the rusted, un-transformed Tessaiga, she held it a few inches away from the wolf's right shin. "I'm sorry, Kōga, but I have to take them away from you before they kill you."

"Oh...just get on...with it." Inuyasha tightened his arms to pin the yōkai to his chest.

Releasing a tense breath, she stabbed the blade into his flesh just beneath the vile shard. Levering the hilt downward, she cut a shallow slit in his skin and popped the shard loose all in one motion. It fell harmlessly to the grassy floor of the woods. Leaving it be, she repeated her actions on his other leg and watched as Kōga's body went completely limp. Bruises that had not blemished him before now rose to the surface, and she watched a few of his bloody scratches from Inuyasha's claws deepen to ragged gashes.

She frowned as Inuyasha let him down. "The jewel was holding off most of his wounds." She reached up to feel the bones of his spine where he connected with the tree. "He's lucky nothing's broken."

Inuyasha leaned against said tree and slid to the ground. "It wouldn't really matter." He rolled his head back to rest on the rough bark, eyes pinched shut with discomfort. "He's a full-blooded yōkai. He'd be able to heal a broken neck." He inhaled shallowly through his nose and whipped his gaze to her. "You're bleeding."

"Huh?" She looked away from Kōga to meet his concerned expression. "I'm bleeding?" She glanced down at her wrist. "Oh, that's right. He bit me."

Inuyasha felt a pang of unease at the heavily bloodied fabric binding her wrist. "He fucking mauled you." He glared at the incapacitated wolf. "He's a dead man."

Kagome inspected the edges of her makeshift bandage. "He was possessed, Inuyasha. Besides, the bleeding’s slowed."

"You should still mend the wound though."

She shook her head and turned her attention to the tainted shards. "I don't have time right now. I'll do it after I take care of you and Kōga, and find Miroku, Sango, Shippō, and Shunsoku." Reaching out slowly, she scooped up the twin shards and squeezed them in her hand. She flinched when they burned a little in her grip, but finally relaxed when she felt them run clean. She stood on her knees to stuff the purified shards into her jeans pocket. "There, now they're purified."

Inuyasha knew nothing he could say would change her mind, so he kept his mouth shut and just watched her fawn over the debilitated wolf. Kagome was meticulous, patching up what wounds she could without the supplies from her small satchel which had been strapped to Shunsoku’s saddle.

A half an hour's time passed before she knelt beside him, the sun falling closer to the horizon by the minute, and started her gentle ministrations on him. His hooded eyes watched her nimble fingers as they probed his tender side, her face frowning when he sucked in a painful breath at her touch. She was totally absorbed in her task, letting nothing distract her from making sure each and every scratch and spot of dried blood was cleaned.

When she started scrubbing away the dried blood from his busted nose, she scooted closer to him between his stretched out legs. Her brows were furrowed with concentration and he felt his blood stir when she leaned up to inspect his ears. He had to quell the urge to caress the softness of her breast or the tautness of her belly when it was so close to his face. His nostrils flared as he forced himself to ignore her nearness.

Pain ignited anew through his torso in his attempts to control himself. He had always harbored an intense possessiveness for her since the day they had met, but the need to consume her body and leave his mark on her was entirely new. He wanted to push her back into the grass and take her right there. Inuyasha groaned as he felt himself growing hard at the thought.

"Does that hurt?"

He blinked up into her down turned face. "What?"

Kagome touched the ugly snippet missing from his left ear. "Your ear. Kōga took a chunk out of it."

Inuyasha barely noticed. "Uh, yeah. A little." He breathed a painful sigh of relief when she sat back on her heels and stopped making him dizzy with her scent. "I didn't really notice."

"Your ribs are hurting that bad?" She frowned and reached for his belt.

He snatched up her hand. "What are you doing?"

"I can't get a good feel of them through your clothes. I need to know how many are broken." A playful smirk crossed her face. "It's only your shirt, Inuyasha. I'm not asking you to get naked."

His eyes darted to hers and his entire body tightened. Clearing his throat, he shoved back her hands. "I'll do it myself." Glad to finally be able to distract himself, he shrugged out of his haori and glanced at her with only his kosode on. She shook her head and made a rolling gesture with her injured hand meaning 'that too'. Inuyasha sighed dejectedly and pulled that off as well. "Make it quick."

Kagome watched him closely, noting his odd agitation, and turned her gaze to his side. She nearly gasped at the size of the marbled bruise blanketing the right side of his chest. The color was still an angry red, but where the muscles of his chest tapered off towards his flank, the mottled purple appeared. That was where the ribs were most likely broken.

She glanced at his face and caught only the strong profile of his jaw as he stared off into the distance before reaching out to gingerly press against his ribs. She swallowed anxiously when his defined abdominals clenched tighter and pulled her hands away after noting three separate breaks, all between the seventh and twelfth ribs. "There's three of them."

"That's what I figured." He released a shallow pant, his stiffened spine relaxing. Without looking at her, he started to slide his kosode back on when he felt a feathering touch on his stomach. Turning his head around, he watched her run her fingers over his already feverish flesh.

"Kagome," he groaned softly. "Don't."

She looked up at him innocently and the look on his face made her heart flip-flop with enlightenment. Yanking her hand away, she started to fiddle with her bandage. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't realize." Kagome blushed and wrung her hands, wincing when she pulled at her wound. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Inuyasha shook his head and pulled his haori tight around him, pressing himself into the nook between the enormous tree roots. "I'll live." He wished he could take just one deep breath. "Just don't touch me."

"Alright." Kagome felt like slapping herself. "I really am sorry."

He growled quietly. "Stop saying that. It's me, not you, so shut up already."

She let out a resigned sigh and allowed her gaze to wander. How was she supposed to know he would react that way? It wasn't like he had ever done it before. Kagome's rich brown eyes landed on the Tessaiga resting in the grass with Kōga's blood on the tip. Pushing to her feet, she walked over and picked up the rickety blade. She had always known Inuyasha had a strong attachment to her, but knowing he wanted her body sent a tingling thrill through her body. Kagome smiled to herself.

Turning the sword in her hands, she pivoted on her heel to look at both of them. Kagome debated whether or not to drag Kōga over to where Inuyasha was resting, but the thought of the wolf waking up next to his supposed 'rival' didn't make for a good idea. Grabbing her quiver and bow, she crouched before Inuyasha and held out his blade. "Here."

He cracked open his eyes and took back his weapon. "Thanks." His perceptive gaze caught her bow in her hand. "Where are you going?"

"I have to find the others and make sure they're alright." She straightened up and stepped back like he'd asked. "Will you be okay here with him?"

The hanyō just snorted and shut his eyes.

Rolling her head around her shoulders, she strapped her quiver across her chest and started off. "I'll be back as soon as I find them, I promise." She jogged back toward the trail.

"Kagome?"

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him, braid swinging along her back. "Yes?"

"Be careful."

Kagome sent him a loving smile. "Always."

Inuyasha watched her until she disappeared from view and turned his troubled amber eyes to the sky. "Please, stay safe."

* * *

 

Sango watched the sun creep lower in the sky and wished for a moment that she hadn't lost her cool. Now she was stranded in the middle of a dense forest with nothing to protect herself, having sent Kirara off to find Miroku. Her eyes burned at the thought of her husband and the amount of blood she’d seen on him.

She pressed her eyes shut and cursed her own stupidity. It was only a shallow head wound, which were notorious for appearing worse than they actually were, but she had gone berserk anyway. She had wanted to kill the unfortunate girl in that moment for attacking Miroku. That cold, numbed feeling of emptiness petrified her.

The slayer croaked out a broken sound and covered her face with her hand, racking sobs seizing her chest. She rolled onto her right side and curled tighter in the grass, her left arm hanging limp against her stomach. Choking past the lump in her throat, Sango fought to take a deep breath.

She had never in her entire life wanted to kill someone the way she wanted to kill Rin...except for Naraku.

Her tortured eyes snapped open and blinked rapidly, pounding her fist into the ground with frustration. Her tears sliding over the bridge of her nose, Sango trembled at the visions Rin had shoved unbidden into her brain as punishment, realizing Naraku had been the one to put them there. Pulling her legs up against her chest, she mewled incoherently as she recalled the horrifying sights. The girl had known just what to show her to make her yield.

_She saw barren field littered with slaughtered bodies, and her brother standing among the dead, jerking his kusarigama from the throat of one of his victims. Examining the sharpness of the blade, he turned to look in her direction as if he could actually see her, and a bright smile crossed his blood-spattered face._

_The image blurred to another..._

_Kohaku pinned on his belly beneath Naraku's booted foot, desperately reaching out to her with panicked brown eyes and trying to crawl away. A vine-like arm tunneled into his back as he screamed out her name._

_The vision changed again, this time to Kohaku's shrunken corpse and the crow peeking away at his dead eyes..._

"No!"

Sango let out an uncharacteristic wail and sat up. She hiccupped, tears and snot streaking down her face, and felt her stomach roll. Pitching forward, she braced herself and vomited into the grass. She coughed and spit until her mouth was semi-clean, crawling away from contents of her stomach and propping against a tree stump. Using her able hand, she tried to clean her face.

"Kohaku isn't dead." Her chest hitched and she gulped a deep breath. "I won't let you kill him, Naraku."

Clenching a fist, she glared up at the darkening sky. "Do you hear me, Naraku?! I won't let you!"

Her voice breaking, she dropped her head and stared at the ground. Sango wasn't sure how long she sat like that, totally limp and exhausted, but by the time Kirara returned, night had fallen. She didn't look up when the nekomata yowled at her from the other side of the glade, feeling too defeated to even greet her companion.

Her ears heard the cat's heavy footfalls as she approached and finally glanced at the large black paws when they entered her line of sight. Eyes heavy from crying, she watched Kirara shrink and scratched the yōkai's ears with trembling fingers. Kirara purred and nudged her hand, turning and looking away. Sango blinked and followed the feline's gaze. "What are you- Miroku?"

Sango pulled her uncooperative limbs together and scrambled over to her husband as he lay face down in the grass. "Miroku!" She grabbed his shoulder and squeezed softly, waiting anxiously for a response. "Miroku?"

He groaned quietly and rolled over, smiling up at her. "Hello, my love."

The relief she felt was overwhelming and the eyes she thought had dried up sprung to life. "I was so worried about you." She sniffed and brushed his bangs away from his clotted gash. "When Kirara found me, I sent her off to find you. I needed to know you were alive."

"That’s good because I had no idea where you were." The monk pushed himself into a sitting position and faced her. "I passed out and the next thing I knew, Kirara was grabbing the back of my robe and toting me here."

Sango slipped her hand under the feline's belly and lifted her against her chest. "Thank you, Kirara."

Miroku looked her over as she nuzzled the cat, noting her wounded stomach and various scratches, and lingered on the awkward angle of her arm. "Sango, what's wrong with your arm? Is it broken?"

"No," she shook her head. "After Kōga nearly broke my jaw, I landed in a tree and tumbled down through the branches until I hit the ground." She put down Kirara and held her shoulder grimly. "It's dislocated."

"I'll have to pop it back into place," he swallowed thickly, "and it's going to be extremely painful since it's been this way awhile."

Sango nodded and shifted closer to him. "I know. The muscles have had time to set."

"Okay, let me see..." He ran his hands over the malformed joint, feeling the top of her humerus sitting just in front of her shoulder blade. "I'm going to pull your arm out and back, but since the muscles are so tight, I'll need to brace against you."

"Alright, I'll lie down and you can brace your feet against my side."

She did as she said and he took hold of her upper arm after setting his heel against her ribcage. He could see her trembling, sweat sliding down her face, and took a calming breath. "Relax, Sango. I'll do it as fast as I can."

Her head bobbed up and down in agreement as she pinched her eyes shut. "Okay."

Miroku felt his own nervous sweat slide down his back and started to count. "One, two..." He took a white-knuckled grip on her arm. "Three!" Pushing off her side, he flexed his arms and pulled with all his meager strength. He felt a knife of panic when the bone wouldn't budge, but gritting his teeth, he felt it shift outward as Sango kicked her legs out in agony. Ignoring her thrashing, the monk twisted the arm up and back. Sango screamed when the bone popped back into place and he immediately dropped her arm, bending down to gather her shuddering frame in his arms. "I'm sorry, my love. It's over."

The yōkai-taijiya clutched his robes and buried her head into the crook of his neck, riding the waves of pain. Her chest heaved and she felt a surge of nausea. Pulling back, she tried to turn away. "Miroku, let me go." His hold loosened and she spun around to retch.

He held her until her dry heaves subsided, brushing her hair out of her face, and rubbing soothing circles on her back. Standing up, he lifted her up by her armpits, careful of her throbbing shoulder, and steered her towards the stump she'd been sitting against before.

"Sit down." She sagged onto the wooden chair and he swiftly removed his outer robe, tearing off an already hanging piece and handing it to her. "For your mouth." He rummaged around in the heavy folds of his robe and produced one of the 'water bottles' that Kagome had given him earlier. "Take this too."

"Thanks." Unscrewing the cap, she used the water to swish out her mouth until the horrible taste of bile was gone. She wiped her mouth, grateful for his awareness. Sango watched him curiously, knowing her heart couldn't possibly love him more than it did right now, and spotted a blotch of blood on his clothing. She pointed weakly. "Are you hurt, Miroku?"

He glanced up from his task. "This?" He smiled and waved it off. "It's nothing."

She watched him fashion her a makeshift sling with his robes and chuckled at the reversal of their roles. "This is strange. I'm usually the one patching  _you_  up."

He knelt in front of her and the look on his face was anything but humorous. "I thought you were going to get yourself killed."

"Miroku..." Her throat seized as her heart pounded against her breastbone. "She showed me things, about Ko...Kohaku, and I...I lost it. All I could think about was killing her, and then Kōga because he interfered." Tears spilled down her cheeks as she cupped his cheek. "I was...out of control, and I...I left you to fight alone. I was completely reckless and I put you in even greater danger." Sango wilted. "I broke my promise. Please, forgive me."

"You don't need my forgiveness."

Holding the back of her head, he pulled her down to kiss her fiercely. Sango whimpered into his mouth, matching his desperate fervor with her own. His lips moved roughly against hers and it drove her to respond just as aggressively, sliding to her knees to press her soft curves to his angled planes as if she wanted to crawl inside his body.

She wanted him to know that she was alive and well, albeit a bit damaged, trying frantically to express just how much she truly needed him. Sucking hard on his lower lip, she pulled away when he groaned softly and dropped his mouth to her sweat slick neck.

Miroku dragged his lips down her delicate throat and let the reassuring beat of her pulse wash over him like a balm for his soul. He kissed her greedily, nipping her gently, and savored the feel of her body flush against his. Softly massaging the tender spot behind her ear, a known hot spot for her, he hummed contently as she sighed.

Tasting the salt of her sweat and feeling the comforting warmth of her pliant form, he finally felt the anxiety gripping him leave. He ran his curse-free hand down her back and around her side, running his thumb along the underside of her breast as he returned to kiss her lips. He leaned away slightly and whispered against her swollen lips. "Sango..."

She tipped her head back and pulled away, sucking in a much-needed breath as she folded herself into his embrace. "I love you so much, it hurts."

He grinned and caressed the nape of her neck. "I wouldn't want to cause you any unnecessary discomfort, Sango."

"Ugh," she bumped her forehead against his shoulder, "you're insufferable."

"Yes, I am." He nodded and pushed her back. "I also need to take care of your shoulder." He picked up the sling he had made. "Now, just let me wrap this around...no, it needs to sit higher...that's better." Miroku got her arm situated where he wanted and tied the ends tightly around her neck. "There."

Sango marveled at his ingenuity and glanced at the nekomata walking toward the edge of the glade. "Kirara?"

The twin-tailed cat looked back her, then again the woods, cooing melodically before bounding away.

"Kirara!" The yōkai-taijiya started after her, but was held back by Miroku. She turned her concerned violet eyes to her husband's gray ones. "Where is she running off to?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She sighed heavily and waited. It was only a few minutes before Kirara emerged from the underbrush with an overjoyed Kagome sitting astride Shunsoku, Shippō perched on the horse's withers. The priestess dismounted in a flash and ran over to them. "I'm so glad Kirara found me! I thought I'd be searching for you guys forever!"

Miroku looked around her. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"I left him with Kōga."

"Kōga?!" The couple shouted in unison.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. They're both pretty beat up. Inuyasha has some broken ribs, so I left him to watch over Kōga's unconscious body while I went to find you. I ran into Shippō and Shunsoku almost immediately and spent the last hour getting lost." She frowned at their obvious wounds. "Kōga did that, didn't he?"

"Actually, I got mine from Rin when she stole Sango's wakizashi."

Her brown eyes grew huge. "Rin?"

Sango nodded. "Yes. She was possessed by something, just like Kōga."

"It was probably Naraku. Kōga's shards were horribly tainted." She pulled at her bandaged wrist. "He probably fell under his command the same way Naraku tried to do to me."

Miroku frowned. "What are you talking about?"

The priestess shook her head. "I'll tell you once we get back to Inuyasha." She smirked. "I don't want to leave those two alone for too long."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: suicidal thoughts and dubious consent (due to possession).

_“Guilt can be a good thing. It’s the soul’s call to action. The indication that…something is wrong. The only way…to rid your heart of it…is to correct your mistakes and keep going…until amends are made.” – Father Lantom, Daredevil_

* * *

"Enough, Kanna. I cannot stomach to watch any more of that abortion."

The tiny girl simply turned away and walked over to the open doors of the balcony.

Hakudōshi glared at the back of her head, sprawled out on his back in the middle of the room. "What? You have nothing to say?" He propped himself up onto his elbow and wagged the end of his stump at her. "Fine, you don't have to say a fucking word."

"It is not what you think."

The teenager narrowed his pale eyes. "It's not?"

Her voice was soft on the gentle breeze. "No."

"Then please, do tell. All I saw was another failure on Akago's end of this deal." Leaning forward, he slipped to his feet and strode up beside her. Jerking her precious mirror from her grasp, he observed his reflection in the glass. "Naraku should have sent me to kill them. I would have succeeded in shedding their blood." He grinned as he thrust the offending object back at her. "I would have enjoyed killing them immensely, but instead I was sent to taunt a rather disappointing dai-yōkai."

Kanna ran her opaque fingers along the mirror's rim lovingly. "Naraku wants you here."

"Why?!" Hakudōshi bellowed at her void expression, his wrath billowing to the surface. "He promised me a battle, and yet here I stand keeping house for that filthy mutt!"

"He does not tell me his reasons."

He pulled back, suddenly calm. "So he distrusts you as well." He chuckled and stepped out onto the balcony. "Alright, Kanna. Tell me what you  _do_  know." He lifted his remaining fingers and enjoyed the feel of the zephyr flowing between them. "Tell me about Akago's little debacle."

"They were never meant to die."

His hand stilled, cautiously pulling back to wrap protectively around what was left of his right arm. "Then what the fuck was he doing with the girl and the wolf?"

She moved silently back into the room, slowly making her way back into the depths of the fortress. "They were bait."

* * *

 

"Kagome, you have yet to tend to your own wounds."

The priestess spared Sango a fleeting smile. "I'll survive until I get the both of you patched up."

Inuyasha shifted. "She's right, Kagome."

She sighed as she smeared antibiotic ointment into Miroku's lacerated forehead. "I promise I'll take care of it." Kagome glanced at the hanyō when she reached for a bandage. "I promise, Inuyasha." Turning back to the monk, she taped the bandage over his gash and sat back on her heels. "That should do it."

Miroku tipped his head. "My thanks, Kagome."

"No problem." She looked over at Sango. "How about we go get cleaned up in the creek? It'll be easier to bandage your wounds." She flinched when Inuyasha's growl wafted towards her. "Mine too, of course."

"I don't want you two going alone."

Kagome started to pack up her satchel. "Well, I don't want to leave Kōga alone either. What if he wakes up?"

"I'll stay and watch him." Miroku tossed another log onto the fire.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "No, I'll watch him with you." He turned to the kitsune, who was romping around with Kirara. "Shippō, you go with them and stand guard."

The kitsune somersaulted and flopped onto his belly, Kirara pouncing on his back and pulling on his hair. He giggled and sat up. "Yeah, sure." Snatching up the nekomata, he perched her on his shoulder as he stood up. "Can Kirara come with us?"

Miroku nodded. "That's a good idea."

Kagome slung her satchel across her chest and strode over to kneel next to the sleeping wolf. She ran her fingers over the torn flesh of his upper arm where her arrow had hit him. The wound was still raw and weeping, any and all bleeding finally stopped. It was a stark contrast to the nearly indiscernible bruises and scratches he had, healing sluggish in comparison.

Straightening up, she stood arms akimbo. "I don't get it. Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

"Getting shot by a  _Hama no Ya_  isn't exactly a walk in the park."

Kagome couldn't help her reflexive flinch, feeling the hanyō's eyes drilling into her back. Choosing to ignore him, she merely sighed and strode over to where she had Shunsoku tied off to a tree branch. "Let's go, Sango."

Inuyasha watched her help the slayer up onto the horse and knew he should have kept his mouth shut. What had possessed him to say something so childish?

He glared at the prone wolf prince. The jealousy was a knee-jerk reaction and even though he knew Kagome didn't want the wolf in that manner, his blood boiled anyway. He couldn't help it. His body itched to stake his claim on her and until that happened, his dog would continue to act irrationally on her behalf around other males. Not even Miroku was safe from his zeal, and the monk had been removed from the picture the day Sango came into it.

He scrubbed a restless hand over his face as he watched Kagome lead the four of them away, lamenting the overzealous instincts of his yōkai blood.

"Kōga is nowhere near Kagome, Inuyasha. Sit down and relax." Miroku stoked the cracking embers. "The tension in your aura is practically suffocating me."

"Oi," Inuyasha cuffed the back of his friend's head as he moved past him and sat down. "Quit your bitching. You're the whiniest bastard I've ever met."

The monk chuckled. "You have such a way with words, my friend."

Ignoring him, the hanyō crossed his legs and tucked Tessaiga in the crook of his shoulder. "So, you want to tell me who gave you those wounds?" He slid his clawed hands into his sleeves. "I don't smell Kōga on you at all, only a peculiar human scent."

"You are correct." Miroku reached up and lightly ran his fingers over Kagome's bandage, the lethal expression on Rin's face when she'd swung the sword echoing through his mind. "It was Rin."

Inuyasha glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Rin?"

"Yes, but it  _wasn't_  her at the same time."

He scowled. "Either it was or it wasn't. Make up your damn mind."

"Alright," Miroku glared at him, an expression he hardly ever used. "Rin's physical body swung the sword, but her soul wasn't the one controlling the body."

"Possession?"

"Most likely."

Both of them swung their heads in unison, coming to the same conclusion at the same time as they stared at Kōga. Inuyasha felt the hair on the nape of his neck rise. "He got Kōga through the shards, but how the fuck did he possess Rin without one?"

"Kagome didn't sense one?"

He shook his head negatively. "At the time she was focused on Kōga, but I'm sure if she had noticed another she would have mentioned it. Besides," he stared into the wavering flames, "Kagome has all but one of the four remaining shards."

The monk sighed. "You're right. I forgot about that." He leaned forward, chin cupped in thought, and tapped his knee anxiously. "I wonder..."

"What?"

"Do you think Naraku could have visited her in person?"

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment and shook his head. "No, Naraku's not one to get his hands dirty. He'd send one of his grunts to do the work for him." A yawn nagged at the back of his throat and as he closed his eyes, a memory filtered through his brain. Spine snapping straight, he strangled a yelp of pain and looked over at the startled monk. "The brat!"

Miroku gawked at him. "Brat?"

"Yeah! That fucking brat of Naraku's!" He snapped his fingers in an attempt to jumpstart his memory. "What the fuck was his name...?"

"Akago."

"That's the one!" He started to pace around the fire, his shadow jumping every which way. "Do you remember how he possessed Kagome, or tried to?" He jerked to a halt at Miroku's nod. "That's how he did it. I know it."

He had to admit that Inuyasha had surprised him. This display of deduction was out of character for him and usually reserved for brilliant displays in combat. "I think you're right, but she was fine when you saw her last."

Inuyasha scratched his healing ear. "I don't know about that." He flicked his contemplative gaze to Miroku's. "Physically, she was in great health, but here..." He tapped his temple with one clawed finger. "I'm not so sure." He recalled what Kagome had recognized about Rin earlier and growled with frustration. "Kagome was right. I should have seen it."

Miroku watched the guilt permeate his features. "Seen what?"

"How desperate she was to find Sesshōmaru. A need like that made her vulnerable." He resumed his restless pacing. "I should have taken her with me, but I was too absorbed by the thought of Kagome returning."

"Given the circumstances, that's to be expected. I would have been no different if our roles were reversed." Miroku smiled bitterly. "I know you blame yourself, Inuyasha, but you can't protect everyone. It's impossible."

The hanyō's lips curled back into a tight sneer. "Rin isn't just anyone, Miroku. When Sesshōmaru allowed her to accompany him in his travels, he put her in danger by default when he declared himself Naraku's enemy. Whether she wanted to be involved or not, Rin was pulled into this clusterfuck by my brother." His fists clenched until he felt his claws pierce his palms. "Targeting her to get at Sesshōmaru was an inevitable move on Naraku's part and the task of securing her safety was put upon that dumbass dai-yōkai."

Holding up his hands, he opened them up and flexed his fingers. "I don't know if he got rid of her to protect her, or to just make life easier, but Sesshōmaru was definitely trying to separate himself from Rin." He shook his head. "Kagome caught that immediately."

Miroku fingered the prayer beads that sealed his Kazaana. "Perhaps he foresaw something like this happening in the future and figured she'd be better off among humans." He looked up at the fidgeting inu-hanyō. "You and I both know that Sesshōmaru understands that he is a danger to her because of his enemies. He knew Naraku would target her again and made a strategic move to protect her."

"That's all well and fucking good, but do you think that asshole would tell  _her_  that?" Inuyasha cracked his knuckles. "Maybe then she wouldn't try traipsing the entire fucking countryside to find the scumbag."

Miroku had to give him credit for that one. Sesshōmaru could be painfully blunt, but he also had a gift for speaking in riddles when the notion struck him. "I'm sure he didn't feel the need to. Rin is completely enamored by him and it would probably only take a few words to pacify her." He shook his head at Inuyasha's snort. "You've seen her with him. Her trust in him is infinite and she'd believe anything he had to say because he's Sesshōmaru."

Inuyasha shuddered. "That's twisted."

"That's love."

"Kagome said that too."

Miroku grinned. "Kagome is very perceptive that way."

* * *

 

Rin stared out into the blanket of night, wondering idly if the never-ending darkness just might consume her and spare her from this torment. She had not seen a night this heavy since the one when she had been killed by a pack of ravenous wolves. Not even the nights huddled in the corner in the tiny room she occupied with her Aunt had been this dreary and full of empty hope. The stars had always been there to twinkle back at her with reassurance that she could survive, that she would live to see another day. Their golden spark, so like the flash in  _his_  eyes, had given her hope that she would make it through.

That spark was gone now and none of the childish prayers she'd once spoken would assuage her fears.

Her head pulsed with a muted pain, but she welcomed it with open arms. It was less than she deserved for what she had done, but she was content to see it as a tendril keeping her tethered to reality. It would be so easy to just give in and allow the guilt and shame to drive her mad. Rin blinked languidly and lifted her right arm until the object in her hand glinted from the firelight behind her. She could do so much better than falling into a vegetative state. Tilting the wakizashi she had stolen from the yōkai-taijiya, Rin entertained the idea of just pressing it to her throat and finding peace.

That would be the coward’s way out, though.

Staring forcefully at the razor edge of the sword, tears leaking out of her eyes of their own volition, she cursed her own weakness, unable to even release herself from this hell. He had sent her away on the pretense of propriety, with false promises of protection and assurance, only to slap her in the face with his lies. He had, more or less, abandoned her. Why did his thoughts still matter?

Why, after discarding her to years of abuse and neglect, did she still care?

Rin jabbed the point of the wakizashi into the wood panel of the floor, chest heaving with impotent rage. She had become so conditioned to his constant guard that she was unable to protect herself. She had withstood day upon day of physical and verbal assault from a disgruntled old witch with only the hope that her lord would come and rescue her like he had done countless times before. It had all been one giant contradiction in her mind. He had given his word that he would not return for her, and yet promised her safety.

They were such empty words.

Her hand slipped from the hilt as the first sob slipped through her chapped lips. She wanted to blame him so badly, but knew she could not lay all of this at his feet. She folded herself against the flimsy wall of the hovel she had run to, and listened to the crack of the fire behind her. It had been her own choice to foolishly leave that village. Her fingers rested lightly over her heart, right where that terrible knot sat so heavy and evil. Rin thumped her head against the wood, wincing as her head pounded painfully. She was the one that gone against his word, and look at her now.

Sesshōmaru had nothing to do with her confrontation with the yōkai child.

Her honey-brown eyes drifted back to the blade sunk into the wood. She reached out and gripped the hilt. She may have depended on him in the past, but he was no longer around. Rin jerked the sword loose and held it up. No one was coming to save her, so perhaps it was time to do it herself.

Her silent tears of anger turned to quiet tears of regret. All this time she had harbored a feeling of betrayal by him when she, in fact, had betrayed herself. Hadn't she been the one to stand defiant beside him, defending her desire to stay in his company? Hadn't she always foraged for her own food without his help? Hadn't she always been the one getting into trouble and needing his help?

Rin swallowed her sobs to keep quiet, not wanting her captor to hear. She had always relied on him to come to her rescue, sweeping in at the last minute to save her like some damsel in a story. He should have despaired of her behavior, but he had only ever had a curt reprimand and the reward of his disregard, which she knew was the closest he got to affection.

There was loud crack of wood that had her scrambling to conceal the wakizashi, sliding it under a loose floorboard. Rin swiped at her face and turned back to the open doorway, hearing the soft footfalls of her captor coming from behind her. The sliding panel separating her from him slammed open and she forced herself not to jump, not to let him hear the thundering pace of her heart in her chest. He continued until he was standing just behind her, staring at her like she was some kind of livestock. The knot in her chest suddenly felt extremely heavy, literally pulling her torso closer to the ground and she prayed that the alien control he had over her would not take effect again.

His voice cut the thick, smoky air of the room. "You're lucky, Rin. I found you something to wear in this dump of a village." There was a soft thud beside her with a small breeze when the object displaced the air, followed by a sound she knew well: that of a bucket dropping, with the contents sloshing back and forth like an upset sea. "Clean up and get dressed. There is more you must do."

She hated feeling so afraid and helpless. She hated having to watch her body commit atrocities she was powerless to stop, all because of one stupid, kind act to help a yōkai child.

The first time his control had taken hold of her, she had nearly made her way to the decimated village she was residing in. She had dragged herself up that hillside, and staggered her way down the trail as her wounds bled. It had seemed strange to her at the time, but the only wound not bleeding was the bite mark on her neck. There wasn't even a bruise left there, and it made her wonder just what Akago had really done to her. He didn't make her wait long, standing in the middle of the road and beckoning to her.

_Rin tried to scream, tried to run away, but her body made no attempt to obey her. She felt her fearful grimace melt away, felt her eyes deaden in their sockets, and panicked when a heavy cloak of evil billowed around her body. The air was thick now too, and the horrible smell awoke the pulsing knot in her chest. Suddenly her feet were moving on their own, following him, her arms folding themselves over her breasts to hold her shredded kimono together. She tried to dig in her heels and balk, but it was only a phantom sensation in her mind; her legs just did as they pleased._

_He led her to a small rock, made her sit, and laughed as the sweat poured off her brow in waves. He stood gazing at her for many hours, testing his power, making her do countless embarrassing and shameful things. The last act had been to remove what little clothing she had and leave her naked in the dirt. He played with her voice until he found a tone to his liking and promptly disappeared._

Rin had been horrified. What if someone found her? What if someone attacked her? What if someone tried _to rape her?_  The fear of not knowing her fate had nearly driven her mad, caged inside the shell of her own body. When she had heard the hurried footsteps coming down the path in her direction, she nearly fainted.

She had recognized the man staring at her, could remember meeting him once before while traveling with Sesshōmaru. His odd dress, covered in furs and armor, and the fangs visible in his open mouth told her he was a yōkai. What kind she couldn't recall, but she knew she was afraid of him and of what he symbolized. She remembered being afraid the last time she had seen him.

_He stared at her hard, observing her, making her flesh tingle under his scrutiny. He gazed at her nudity and made no move toward her, a strange light glimmering in his beautiful blue eyes. Rin could see the apprehension in his body, the tension running rampant along his limbs as he cautiously moved toward her. He'd spoken to her, though what he had said was obscured by the cloud in her brain, and she felt her vocal chords vibrate a response. It was an alien feeling, like she was watching herself through another's eyes. Her bare body stood up and ran to him, clearly shocking him with her behavior and reassuring his fear._

Rin recalled what Akago had made her body do and whimpered into her hands. He had flung her at the yōkai, twining her limbs around his body as she had never done to another person and sealed her lips upon his. She gasped quietly and turned to the bucket, snatching the rag and scrubbing her skin. She had only wanted to do those sorts of things with one person, and now, even if she were given the chance, she feared they would be forever tarnished in her mind. Rin sobbed softly in the firelight, running the rag over her flesh in hopes it would chase away the dirty feeling she had inside.

When she found out Akago's true intentions, she had wilted inside her own mind and closed herself off from what she was seeing. He had merely used her as a conduit to the unsuspecting yōkai, but she knew he could have done it another way and spared her honor. He was evil and the wickedly devious always took the time to degrade their victims until they begged for death.

The longer she moved the sodden cloth along her body, the harder she stared at the floorboard when she had stashed the sword.

She washed herself swiftly, left a little uneasy because he had allowed her this one comfort. Rin relished the feel of her clean hair, free of the grimy buildup it had sustained while occupying the remains of a slaughtered village. Finished, she set away the bucket and turned her attention to the pile of cloth, mouth falling open at the sight of it.

There were several different layers, each a rich vivid color, and all blending together to make an elegant formal kimono. Rin ran her fingers along the smooth silk, pulling each piece away from the others and slipping her arms into the innermost robe. It was a rich indigo, the fabric light and soft against her skin. Relishing the warmth of clothing, she quickly wrapped herself in the dark blue second layer. She hesitated before reaching for the final piece of the kimono, her breath catching at the intricate embroidery adorning the long, pastel blue sleeves. Blinking back tears of astonishment, she pulled the satiny kimono tight around her middle, easily tying the wide fuchsia obi in a delicate knot.

Standing up, she held up her arms and ran her fingers along the hand-stitched faces of the fluffy white Akitas. A smile split her tear-streaked face, the simple reassurance steadying her. Something was telling her to continue her quest, to find her lord. Her eyes drifted away from the elegant kimono to hover on the floorboard concealing the sword.

Rin stepped closer and knelt down, popping the board loose and lifting the wakizashi from its impromptu prison. Gripping it tightly, she covered up the hole and sat down against the nearest wall, tucking her delicate feet beneath her. She had shed blood with this, inflicted pain. Her mouth formed a grin line across her face, the sudden desire to rectify that transgression tightening her grip.

She slid down the wall and rested her head on her pillowed sleeve, resolved now to killing Akago at the next opportunity.

Sesshōmaru couldn’t always be there to save her, she knew that now. Rin held the sword close to her body, her tears drying up as she curled tighter for sleep. She didn't know if he had intended for her to realize this or not, still unsure of his reasons for leaving her, but she knew that what was done, was done and couldn't be changed.

Giving up did nothing to atone for the crimes she’d committed, so she would fight to make it right. And if she died while doing it, then Sesshōmaru could never label her a coward.

* * *

 

Kagome's fingers fumbled with the cinch of Shunsoku’s saddle and she frowned. Her injured wrist throbbed and she held up the hand and tried flexing her fingers. Each digit wiggled slightly, but not to normal standards. Every tiny movement pinched the torn ligaments in her wrist and she realized just how badly Kōga had hurt her. Scowling at the ugly bandage, she jerked the cinch loose despite her weakened fingers and pulled the saddle from the tired horse's back. She dropped it to the ground, pulling his saddle blanket as well and laying it over the tack to air out.

Picking up the only brush she had thought to bring, she began running it along Shunsoku’s metallic coat in measured strokes. She only managed to reach his shoulder before her numbed fingers dropped the brush and failed to grasp it tightly enough to use properly. "Dammit."

A cloth-covered hand reached out to pick up the brush. "I'll do it for you, Kagome."

Kagome gripped her wrist and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Miroku."

"I should be the one thanking you, Kagome."

She frowned at him. "For what?"

"For tending to Sango."

"Oh, it was nothing."

He began whisking the sweat off the horse, eyes lingering on her bloodied bandage. "Does he know?"

"Who? Inuyasha?" She looked up, turning her eyes away from where Shippō lay dozing beside Kirara. "Oh, yeah. He's already had a ball scolding me for ignoring it."

"Well, I'd hate to be the voice of reason," Miroku turned back to the horse, "but you should have mended it a while ago."

Kagome shot him a dour look. "Maybe I don't want to."

The monk darted his eyes to the back of her head, startled by her acerbic tone. "Kagome?"

She sighed and ran a hand over her face. "I'm sorry, Miroku. It's just that I'm tired of having to deal with Naraku." She turned around and ran her functioning fingers through Shunsoku’s silky tail. "I'm sick of him toying with the people I care about."

"What happened to Rin and Kōga is unfortunate. There isn't anything I want more than to help them, but what about what Naraku has done to you?" He set the brush down beside the saddle and stepped towards her, gripping her shoulders and staring at her sternly. "You said he'd done things to you as well."

Kagome nodded, feeling just the slightest bit chastised even though he had not reprimanded her for anything. "Yes."

He pulled her toward him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward the small camp the others had set up near Inuyasha's tree. "Why don't you tell us?"

Inuyasha looked up from his secluded spot beneath the tree and growled involuntarily at the sight of him so close to her. "Watch those hands."

"Inuyasha..." Kagome shook her head and disengaged herself from the monk, striding over to the hanyō after giving Miroku an exasperated look. She sat down beside him, careful not to even brush his leg, and folded her legs to her chest. "Knock it off."

He huffed, relieved to have her so close. "What's he talking about?"

She looked over at the other couple sitting on the opposite side of the fire. "Do you remember how I said I felt like my emotions were drowning me?"

Sango nodded, cradling her injured shoulder. "You were telling us why you left."

"It was kind of strange." She propped her chin on her knees. "Normally I can deal with whatever my heart throws at me, whether its love, hate, jealousy...but after Naraku disappeared, it was like there was a little voice in my head giving them strength." Kagome stared into the flickering flames of the fire. "It was like I was fighting inside my head, arguing back that I didn't wish for Kikyō’s death when it would tell me I hated her and that she was in the way. Anytime I wanted to tell Inuyasha how I felt, it would smother me in fear or pity because of how meek I was." She ducked her head, hiding her face. "It was always worse when I was around him. I used to be able to deal with the hurt because I wanted to be with him so bad, but the resentment got to be unbearable."

Kagome could hear the soft, shallow breaths of the hanyō behind her and reached out blindly with her hand, searching for him. Her breath caught when his strong fingers twined with hers, the weight of her admittance hitting her like a battering ram. "I didn't realize then that it was Naraku's voice telling me those things."

Inuyasha's heart beat anxiously, his stomach churning at her words, realizing he’d been the one to plant the seed for that manipulation. Gripping her hand tightly, he ran his thumb along her battered knuckles and cast the others a nervous glance. He knew his guilt was tangible by the solemn expressions on their faces.

Sango broke the tense silence first. "How was it possible for Naraku to do that to you?"

The priestess sniffled, wiping at her nose. "The _Shikon_ shard."

The light bulb apparently lit up in Miroku's head, judging from his blinking gray eyes. "The shards are all pieces of a whole jewel and each one is connected to the others. It's the same method he uses with Kohaku." His wife stiffened beside him, and he gently gripped her thigh comfortingly. "He was able to link himself to you through the  _Shikon no Tama's_  own power."

"But Kagome can purify the jewel...how could he control her?"

Kagome shook her head. "He never controlled me, only influenced my emotions. It's kinda like he left me crumbs to follow, knowing that my own nature wouldn't be able to leave them be. He knew that I, as a human being, would be unable to ignore the darker side of my heart." She locked eyes with Sango. "It's no different than your conflicting emotions for Kohaku, whether you would be able to take his life or not if such a decision had to be made. Knowing how badly he affected me, I have no doubt he could have amplified your guilt in the event of Kohaku's death to the point you'd try ending your own life."

Sango's throat worked stiffly. "That's..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to single you out, Sango." She blinked through her swirling vision, only able to face her friend because of Inuyasha's touch. "It's only natural for people to delve into their hatred or fear and create ridiculous scenarios inside their own heads. I told you I feared my feelings were one-sided, and it was only a small feat to imagine being rejected. Naraku gave me just enough of a push to make me run away and hide."

Inuyasha's ears drooped at her broken whispers and the fine tremors running through her hand. It pained him to great lengths that all of this torture had gone on right under his nose and he'd had no clue, only thinking Kagome had been simply touchy at the time. He felt like an idiot. He remembered those few months after their final confrontation with Naraku and how obsessed he'd been with finding him. He'd left her in Kaede's village constantly to scourge the countryside, even hunting down Kikyō to tell him what she knew of their enemy's whereabouts. He would return to Kagome empty-handed and angry, blurting out his visits with the dead priestess in his frustration. That span of time was clouded by disappointment and everyday arguing, but he could remember seeing her depression and pretending not to see it.

How could he have ever thought that bastard was more important than Kagome?

"You don't have to say anymore if you don't want to, Kagome." The hanyō sat up and pulled her towards him.

She resisted for a breath, but relented and turned into his arms, snaring her fingers into his haori. "Yes, I do. I have to get this out so that you all understand what's happened with Kōga...and probably Rin as well." Setting her chin on his shoulder, she lowered her voice so only he could hear her. "I know you know there's more to what I'm telling, but that's for only you to hear."

She pulled away and twisted around so she could face the others and leaned back against his chest, the tension along her spine relaxing with relief. Careful of his tender ribs, she slipped her hands over the tops of his and rested their joined fingers in her lap. The digits of her right hand flexed weakly against his knuckles and she knew he could feel the weakness there, but she turned her gaze back to her friends. "After I left, the voice faded, but the seeds it had planted inside me continued to grow. Naraku's connection to my shard weakened because of the time lapse, but by then I was so messed up it was as if he was there anyway."

Inuyasha inhaled the scent of her hair. "What about that girl I killed for you?"

Miroku nearly choked on the water he was drinking, needing Sango to pat his back to help him breathe. "You...k-killed...a girl?" He coughed. "For Kagome?"

"It wasn't an actual person, Miroku." Kagome met his worried gaze. "She wasn't technically alive either, except in my mind."

"I'm confused..."

The priestess smiled fleetingly at Sango. "So was I at first, but it didn't take me long to figure it out. Naraku woke up, which prompted me to come back, and by doing so, his influence on my emotions intensified along with his strength. It wasn't like it was before. There were no voices wreaking havoc on my subconscious, but the night after I fought the bandits..." Kagome's intense brown eyes drifted down to the claws softly running back and forth on her stomach. "...I had a dream of a priestess killing Inuyasha."

The claws stilled under her hands and she held her breath. Inuyasha's voice was nearly inaudible. "Was it Kikyō?"

Kagome shook her head. "No."

Sango frowned. "But if it wasn't Kikyō, who was it?"

"It was me."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Is that why she looked like you?"

"I told you I would explain why, I just got a little distracted..." She tipped her head toward the unconscious wolf lying beside the fire. "The girl looked like me because Naraku, with his new-fangled power, gave that disturbing little voice a body and face."

The confusion seemed to only increase in Miroku's face. "If she only appeared while you were sleeping, how did Inuyasha kill her?"

Kagome pulled her damaged hand away from Inuyasha's limb and tapped the shard hanging from her throat. "Naraku called to me." She felt Inuyasha press his cheek to the side of her head and reached up to hold the silver forelock that fell over her shoulder. "It was after I had caught up to Inuyasha and we were coming back to meet up with you. I could sense his miasma nearby, but before I realized what it was he had already corrupted my shard and my power." She smirked. "I probably could have just purified it, but it was Tessaiga that told me not to."

"Tessaiga?"

Inuyasha nodded against her head. "Yeah, it wanted me to attack her." He stared at the ground. "So, I did."

Sango held the front of her kimono tensely. "You fought each other?"

"I didn't really have a choice. She was trying to kill me by then." He casually flicked his ears. "Her power was so strong that I had to call on my dog for help."

Kagome tugged on his hair. "Will you please tell me what the hell you're talking about? You've mentioned this 'dog' about a million times already."

It was Miroku that answered her. "Inuyasha is referring to the inu-yōkai that lives inside him, the one that surfaces when he transforms." The monk continued when she blinked at him intently. "Not long after you left, Inuyasha had a confrontation with Sesshōmaru that got rather ugly."

"What?" Kagome sat up and looked back over her shoulder at the hanyō.

Inuyasha shrugged. "I was looking for information and he didn't want to give me any."

Sango lifted a skeptical brow. "You were just looking for a fight because you were upset."

"How the fuck-"

"Anyway," Miroku cleared his throat and cut off the hanyō's agitated response. "During the fight, Sesshōmaru got the better of Inuyasha and injured him gravely. The dai-yōkai seemed less hospitable than usual and made to kill him. Inuyasha's blood had spilled onto the Tessaiga from his injuries and it set off a strange reaction in the blade."

Sango stoked the fire, picking up where her husband left off. "The Tessaiga radiated a gold glow and Inuyasha's face transformed like his yōkai blood had taken over." She glanced at the hanyō staunchly looking away from them all. "However, Inuyasha never lost control of himself. In fact, he was able to deliver a painful blow to his brother and end the scuffle."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Inuyasha snorted. "Basically, instead of going berserk, the Tessaiga let me stay in control of my yōkai blood. It let me fight at full strength with a level head."

Miroku nodded. "It was a curious thing to see. Over the last five years, he's been working at taming his inu-yōkai without having to actually wield Tessaiga with some success. This new found kinship with it brought about his calling it his 'dog'."

Kagome nodded slowly and cast Inuyasha a sly glance. "So you have, like, an actual  _dog_  in you?"

He glowered at her and mumbled under his breath. "Yes."

She bit back a snicker. "I'll have to investigate that later." Turning back to the others, she tipped her head. "Where were we?"

The yōkai-taijiya yawned. "You two were fighting each other..."

Inuyasha sighed. "Her power kept throwing the Tessaiga back at me and my hands started to bleed I was fighting so hard." He stared out into the dark. "My dog came forward just like when I was fighting Sesshōmaru and I was finally able to knock her unconscious." He tightened his arm around her slim waist, reliving the apprehension he'd felt watching her. "I knew Naraku was doing something to her. His scent had completely blanketed hers."

Kagome could feel his aura tightening like a vice and gently held his arm tighter to her body, fingers running soothing circles at his wrist. "I can't be certain, but my evil twin somehow pulled my soul into an illusion. She told me all about the game Naraku was playing and then attacked me when I said I would kill her. She was beating me pretty good when Inuyasha showed up."

"I could feel the twisted web he had on you in the air and you were fighting the hold he had on you. I decided to call on my dog and follow you when I understood why you had me knock you out."

"So, while  _you_  came to help me...what was your  _dog_  doing?"

"Guarding our bodies like I told it to."

"Oh." She grinned. "I think that's kind of neat."

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, an unease he hadn't even realized was gripping his body flowing out of him, and he shrugged. "It let me kill that psycho and break the spell, that's all."

Miroku rolled his shoulders. "So, this is what you think happened to Kōga?"

Kagome looked over at him and nodded. "Yeah. I think he told him to do things or possibly led him somewhere. However he did it, Naraku managed to physically taint Kōga's shards. That's how he was able to possess him. He tried to possess me, but my spiritual powers always nullified his attempts."

"Kōga has always been so cautious. It's hard to believe he was so easily captured." Sango blinked sleepily and rested her head on Miroku's shoulder. "I never would have thought he would allow Naraku so close."

A voice, low and grating, responded quietly. "He used the girl."

Inuyasha nearly crushed Kagome when he hauled her up and moved away from the suddenly speaking wolf, a heinous snarl gripping his throat. Once again he had been caught unawares, and it didn't sit well with him. A quick glance across the fire told him Miroku didn't like it either and the look on Sango's face, coupled with the hand clenching her throat, spoke volumes as to what the wolf had done.

Pulling his arms from around Kagome's slight waist, he pushed her behind him and stepped towards Kōga. He ignored her elegant hands when they tried to stop him from brandishing Tessaiga, but the way they just fell away meant she hadn't really intended to stop him. Inuyasha glared down into the wolf's brilliant blue eyes and pressed the tip of his sword to his neck. "How long have you been awake?"

The eyes held his stare and blinked once, then twice, before he answered. "Long enough."

"What's with the shifty act?" He gave the blade a slight twist and watched Kōga hold his breath. "Do you  _want_  me to kill you?"

Kagome felt a bead of sweat dribble down her back, eyes staring hugely at the wolf's stricken expression and knowing Inuyasha would kill him without hesitation.

"Inuyasha!" The priestess darted around his shoulder and boldly snatched the fang in her hand.

The blade sizzled under her touch and shrank down to its rusted form. Inuyasha trained his eyes on the battered blade and refused to look at her. "What are you doing, Kagome?"

The veiled accusation hurt her more than the hot metal of the Tessaiga in her hand, and she let her fingers fall away. Kagome moved in front of him and blocked his view of Kōga lying prone on the ground. "Please, Inuyasha..." She rested her eyes on his  _Kotodama no Nenju,_ praying for the sinking feeling in her heart to perish. "No more fighting."

The tension in the air was punctuated by the clink of Tessaiga as the hanyō returned the weapon to its sheath. Inuyasha turned away from her, staring harshly at the woodlands around them and seeing none of it. "Whatever you say, Kagome."

The thought that she always seemed to favor Kōga’s side during these confrontations passed errantly through her mind as she watched him walk away. Her eyes followed the smooth roll of his shoulders and the soft sway of his hair, her feet suddenly falling into the prints his feet left behind. "Inuyasha, wait!"

"What?"

He stopped so abruptly that she nearly smashed into him, her outstretched hands wilting at his venomous tone. "I...I..." She forced herself to swallow. "Please, don't walk away from me."

Inuyasha's knuckles cracked as he clenched a fist. "No more fighting." He whirled around and growled at her. "Isn't that what you want?"

The sight of his rage shook her and she swallowed as her eyes tore themselves away from his tormented visage. "Y...yes."

"Then I suggest you let me go." He spun on his heel.

"No!" Kagome threw herself against his back and clung desperately to his fire-rat haori. "Please, Inuyasha, give me a chance..." She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in his silver locks to press between his shoulder blades. "Please let me explain it all to you."

The hanyō hesitated at the feel of her lithe body shuddering and he felt the insane wrath of his inu-yōkai weaken. The dog ceased snarling, but the hair on his nape remained rigid and bristling. Inuyasha despised what his yōkai could make him become...for what it was making him right now. He hated that it held so much influence over his behavior. It made him irrational and irresponsible, always thinking it knew best. In the past it had been unable to differentiate the intensity of his feelings, but the more he came to understanding it, the more the dog came to understand him.

It knew now, and for once, it was right.

Inuyasha relaxed his body and the tight grit of his teeth, gently disengaging himself from her grasp. "Fine, but I won't stay here." His ears flattened at the loss of her sweet scent and the soft warmth of her body. "I can't." He forced his arms to his sides so they wouldn't turn to reach for her. "I can't stay here and see you with him and not..." Inuyasha snorted. "You're smart, Kagome. You get the idea, and I don't want to end up fighting you too, so..."

"Yes. I understand." Kagome blinked burning eyes, saw the straightening of his back as he walked off into the forest alone, and wrapped her arms tight around herself to try and capture the quickly dispersing essence of his being. It was a fruitless endeavor and she was left standing alone in the darkness, the barest bit of light from the campfire reaching to snap at the shadows. Slowly, almost lethargically, she forced herself to move and saunter back to the camp.

Kōga was now sitting up, holding up his hands to the flames, and failing in his attempts not to smile at her return. "Finished with the whining pup?"

The priestess stiffened mid-stride. "You..."

Miroku, who had since gotten to his feet to keep a better eye on the ōkami-yōkai, shared a tense glance with his wife before stepping toward the vibrating woman. "Kagome?"

"You..." She lifted her head the scantest inch to glare at the wolf.

"When you took away his little toy, I thought for sure he was going go crying for his mommy." Kōga shook his head. "I say good riddance. You don't need to be involved with a guy like that-"

"Shut up!"

All she could she was red, and Kagome would have been within striking distance if Miroku hadn't intervened. "How dare you say anything about him?!" She fought the monk's grip, but he held fast, fingers digging into the flesh of her arms. "Inuyasha is ten times the man you could ever hope to be! You have absolutely no right to throw down judgement on him!"

Kōga was reeling, angrily getting to his feet. "You're defending him? I heard what he just said to you."

"You what?" Kagome ceased struggling, wincing until Miroku relaxed his hands.

"I can't believe you'd stick by that asshole. He's lucky you let him go, otherwise I would've had teach him a lesson."

She stared into his seething face and gently laid her hands on the monk's. "Let go, Miroku."

"Kagome, I..." He glanced at his wife. Sango smiled grimly and nodded. Swallowing nervously, he released her. "Alright."

Kagome took two steps and was glaring up into the wolf's face, forcing her power back into the tightly locked box inside her body; if she didn't, she may very well kill him. "You listened?"

Kōga blinked at her soft tone. "Y...yeah." Her vicious slap echoed through the trees and had Kōga stumbling backward, blinking with shock. "What was that for? I can't help if my hearing is so acute."

"Oh yes, you can." She turned away and dropped down into the space Inuyasha had vacated so swiftly. "You could have chosen  _not_  to eavesdrop on Inuyasha and me. You could have chosen  _not_  to disrespect my privacy, and," Kagome cursed the angry tears spilling out of her eyes, "you could have chosen  _not_  to attack the people that risked their lives to save  _yours_!"

Miroku watched Kōga falter under Kagome's piercing scrutiny and saw his confidence shatter.

Without glancing at Kagome or his wife, who had since moved around the fire to embrace the seething priestess, he addressed the wolf. "I would hope to judge from your response that you are repentant?"

He looked stricken for a moment, but after passing a guilt-ridden gaze over both Kagome and Sango, Kōga dropped his eyes and sighed. "I..."

"It's over now, Kōga." Kagome wiped at her face and looked up at him. "I know you're sorry and I accept you're apology."

Kōga's turquoise gaze narrowed. "What if you're not the only one that I'm asking for forgiveness?"

She felt Sango go very, very still beside her, almost as if she had stopped breathing. Kagome grabbed her good hand and squeezed tightly. "Are you talking about what happened in the village? When you attacked Miroku and Sango?"

He flinched. "Of course, I never meant to harm your comrades, but..."

"But what?"

Kōga gazed at the monk. "You weren't the only ones. There were others."

Miroku nodded. "The villagers."

"It's all sort of a blur, but I attacked so fast that they didn't know what had killed them. Once I'd started, there was no end until each and every one was dead. Men, women, children...hell, I even killed the rats that lived in the huts." Kōga turned away from them, unable to look any of them in the face without feeling their pity. "Sure, I've killed my share of humans, but never without a reason. I never killed without a just cause and that...it was...a mindless slaughter."

Kagome ached for him. "Kōga, you were being controlled."

He laughed, in way that needled at her. "Don't try to butter me up, Kagome. Someone is always at fault, and although I know Naraku was making me do it, I could have prevented the entire mess." He crossed his arms over his wide, armored chest. "I'm sure when the girl has her wits about her, she’ll feel the same way."

"You mean Rin?"

Kōga flicked his blue eyes to Miroku. "Tall, lean, pretty, with light brown eyes...wearing absolutely nothing?"

Miroku nodded. "I would have to say that sounds like Rin."

"In any case, I'm sure Naraku had a barrel of laughs using us both like trick monkeys in a show. It was," he seemed to consider it a moment, "degrading."

"I'm sorry, Kōga." Kagome gazed at him with concern. "I wish I had been able to stop it."

He blessed her with a genuine smile. "You did."

"I had to remove your shards..." She dug into her pocket and held them out to him.

"Good." Kōga took a deep breath and started to walk away. "I'm leaving."

"Wait!" The priestess called after him. "We need to know what happened to you!"

Kōga sighed again as he turned around. "Several days ago, I was out hunting with Ginta and Hakkaku in the valley below our territory. That's where I first caught Naraku's stench on the wind. I sent the others back before I set out alone to follow it. Eventually, I found myself following two scents instead of one. Naraku's had somehow managed to twine itself with the girl's."

"Shit." Miroku cursed.

Sango blinked with surprise. "Miroku?"

He shook his head, a strange smile spreading across his face as he looked up at her. "Inuyasha was right."

"Right about what?" Kōga scowled with confusion.

Miroku stared into the flickering flames. "Rin was already possessed when you found her. Naraku had already made his move." He tipped his head to the wolf. "Do continue."

"She was just sitting on the side of the trail, running her fingers through her hair like any innocent girl would do. The image didn't fit with what I had envisioned in my head when I found her." Kōga winced as he scratched at his wounded arm. "I was expecting someone more like Kagura, but I was too quick to judge her. She was far worse than any of Naraku's incarnations."

Kagome watched him closely, and could see the memories in his face. The cocky, arrogant ōkami-yōkai was gone, replaced by one much more mild-mannered. It was then she realized that Kōga never had any contact with Naraku. "What did she do to you?"

He tilted his head and frowned, squinting as he recalled what had transpired. "She said my name and it was like I was rooted in place. I couldn't move and I...I didn't want to." He glanced over at the both of them, fear crawling its way over his body again. "I knew something was seriously wrong, but every time I tried to get away, something convinced me to stay." He turned back to the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes. "I watched her stand up and walk toward me, felt my instincts screaming at me to run, but I just stood there. I asked her what she was doing there...why she was coming towards me with that forced smile on her face." He looked straight at Kagome. "All she said was  _'Because he wants me to.'_ "

"Naraku..." Kagome covered her mouth with her hand.

"I didn't try to stop her from kissing me."

Sango blinked. "She kissed you?"

Kōga couldn't help a strong shudder. "Yeah."

"It makes sense." Miroku looked up to meet three skeptical expressions. "It does."

His wife lifted a brow. "How?"

"Alright, we all know that Naraku somehow possessed Rin. The evidence of a struggle proves that, as well as the wounds I'm sporting right now. We also know that in order to for Naraku to taint otherwise pure shards of the  _Shikon no Tama_ , he must have physical contact with them." The monk met Kōga's aquamarine gaze. "Your memory gets very sketchy after the kiss, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I can only remember bits and pieces, and they aren't very pleasant."

Miroku glanced at Sango. "The kiss was the physical contact Naraku needed."

Kōga moved restlessly. "I shouldn't stay here anymore."

Kagome understood why. His memories weren't as shady as he had let on, and Kōga couldn't bear to remain here any longer. The priestess held out her hand. "You don't want your shards back?"

He stopped and spoke over his shoulder. "No, they're safer with you. Just look at what happened."

"Kōga, it wasn't your fault." Miroku stepped toward him.

The wolf snorted. "Go ahead and believe that if it'll help you sleep at night."

"Just leave him be, Miroku." Kagome slid herself out of Sango's embrace and strode over to face him. "Will you pursue Naraku?"

"You think you can stop me?"

She continued to just look at him. "No. Not now, I don't. I think you have just as much right to him as any one of us does, so I wouldn't even consider trying to infringe on that." Kagome tilted her head. "But I want you to know that you don't have to do it all by yourself, and that Inuyasha and I will always be there to help you."

"Great." He huffed. "Now you think I'm a charity case."

"No," Kagome stared seriously at him. "I don't."

He looked at her for a long moment, and then smiled. "Well then, I'm off." Kōga gave her a knowing wink. "If you ever get tired of hanging around with that jealous puppy, he knows where to take you."

Kagome watched him disappear into the trees and just shook her head. "I'm sure that would go over well." Turning back to her friends, she stuffed the shards back into her jeans pocket and squared her shoulders. "Alright, I'm off to retrieve one very irate hanyō."

Sango led Miroku to their sleeping spot and gave her a bolstering smile. "No matter how he reacts, tell him everything." She sat down beside her husband. "That's the only way it will finally be settled."

The priestess chewed her lip and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Now the only thing she had to do was find him.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: brief harm to an animal.

_“A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.” – Ian McEwan, Atonement_

* * *

Kagome paused to surrender to the presence around her, drinking in each and every little nuance of the forest. She closed her eyes and absorbed the scent of even the tiniest flowers, the brush of every slick leaf, and the sound of the numerous woodland creatures.

It was a grounding experience to be reminded just how well life would continue to progress as her personal Armageddon loomed ever closer. Her eyes slid open and surveyed her muted surroundings, falling on the scenery one subtle pivot on her heels at a time. None of these beings, whether they were plant or animal, knew what kind of disaster lay beyond the horizon. They didn't know of her hardship, or of her companions' struggle, nor did they care.

Kagome knew that it would not phase them at all if she were to perish, but she also knew that if such a thing came to pass, their deaths were all but guaranteed. Should she or her friends fail to slay Naraku, nothing good and innocent in this world would be safe from his grasp.

Her eyes fell on a vibrant patch of wildflowers sprouting up from the base of a large elm tree. She strode toward them and knelt down in the grass, reaching out to brush her fingertips over their colorful petals. She had never been a fan of flowers, but knowing what lie ahead of her, Kagome knew that if she didn't fully enjoy nature's beauty now, she may never truly get the chance. Picking a small bushel, she buried her nose in the flowers and inhaled their sweet, nectar smell as her eyes flitted over the tree that stood as the wildflowers' guardian.

At first she thought nothing of the strange markings in the bark, thinking them to be the same as all the other gnarled marks on the weathered trunk, but after a long, hard look she realized what they were.

Claw marks.

Lowering the flowers, she stepped closer and ran her fingers over the ragged flesh of the tree. They came away sticky with sap. Kagome jerked her hand back when the first prick of tears hit her eyes.

Inuyasha's claw marks.

Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her impromptu bouquet to her side and backed up to see the entire picture. He hadn't used all his force, having left the tree standing, but the way they cut sharply toward the ground told of his mental state. A moment ago she had been wondering what it would be like to experience nature from Inuyasha's perspective, with all his superior senses, but it seemed he didn't much care for it.

Kagome stared at the jagged slashes, re-living every ounce of his raging frustration from the manner in which he attacked something so quintessentially helpless. Inuyasha could have easily taken that frustration out on her, or Kōga, or even some poor forest creature, but instead he had maimed a tree. A tree couldn't fight back, couldn't speak up, and so his predatory nature decided to alleviate it's pent up frustration on a weaker victim.

It was really no different than a human punching a wall or pillow, or even screaming their lungs out, but the viciousness of the assault stressed a warning than Inuyasha was not entirely human. There was only so much humanity inside him and when it was gone, all you would be left with is a brutally primitive and instinctual yōkai dog. Those moments were so few and far between that she often forgot he was a hanyō, and almost because of that, Inuyasha always made a point to warn her about it.

This one was no different. Kagome turned away from the sight and started back onto the trail she'd been following.

These demonic flashes of his weren't caused by Naraku's games or the appearance of Koga, but because of her. It was her job to protect him when he couldn't protect himself, and here she was as the root cause of all his problems. Inuyasha had finally come to accept who and what he was, yōkai dog and all, and she was the one that wouldn't.

Sure, she loved his strength, speed, and velvety ears, but in the grand scheme of things, she was forcing back his true self. All throughout their friendship she had been embarrassed by his bloodhound tracking skills and wicked possessive streak, constantly punishing him with a common obedience command whenever his 'doggy side' revealed itself.

Kagome blinked her burning eyes, knowing she’d been just as prejudiced as the rest.

She vaguely realized she was back on the bank of the creek where she'd washed up with Sango. Her sleeves fluttered in the mild breeze as she glanced around silently, looking for any sort of clue as to where her wayward hanyō had gone. She desperately wanted to find him, but at the same time dreaded what Sango had urged her to spill from her mouth and into his oh-so-touchable ears.

She wrapped her arms around herself, the red and white haori rippling as she sank down onto her heels to examine a few shallow indentations in the sand. Kagome traced the edge of the shape and nearly laughed aloud at how dumb she was.

Footprints.

Following them with her eyes, the trail meandered over to the base of a stout tree, and Kagome though nothing of just glancing up at its thick branches. It was initially a shock to see Inuyasha roosting there, but when she finally remembered to breathe it made sense.

He was lounged halfway up the enormous tree's height, back propped against the trunk and his hakama-covered legs hanging from either side of his perch. Tessaiga was held protectively against his chest and his face was smoothed with relaxation.

She smirked at the half-mast set to his ears, amused at just how far he was willing to go to ignore her. She knew he was aware of her; she had made more noise than a herd of rampaging elephants when she came into the clearing. It stung a little to see the lengths he was willing to go, but Kagome wasn't about to start crying her eyes out. She was a grown woman with the intention of having an uncomfortably heavy conversation with the person she cared most about in the world.

Kagome swallowed.

Staring at her reflection in the crystalline water, she cleared her throat. "Kōga left. He didn't say where he was going." Kagome fought her inevitable frown when he didn't answer, and scowled instead. "I wasn't sure I would be able to do this, Inuyasha. I guess that would make me the coward you say I am, but there it is. I'm finished trying to hide things from you."

Kagome turned her attention to the bushel of flowers in her hand and tilted her head as she stared at them.

"A long time ago, I fell in love with a boy."

She selected a soft yellow flower, pulled it from the bunch and tossed it into the water.

"He was rude, obnoxious, arrogant..." Kagome's throat seized for a moment, but she worked through it and this time plucked a violet flower from her bouquet. "He was strong and beautiful...and in love with someone else, but there were moments when I could imagine he loved me in return."

She watched the flower float on the surface of the water. "I stayed with him because of moments like that, even when his lost love returned and dominated his thoughts. I tried not to stay angry or jealous, but it was so very hard to see him go to her all the time. My heart was so full of hope that he would finally see what was right beside him...that when he turned to her, a tiny piece of that hope would chip away."

Kagome tossed another flower, this time a pale orange. "One day the object of our pursuit vanished and in the empty days that followed, the only thing I could think about was him. There was nothing else to occupy my thoughts, so I could only dwell upon my heartache. I didn't know if he loved me as anything more than a friend, and whenever I entertained the idea of telling him, I was too afraid that it would be for naught."

She threw the entire bundle of flowers into the creek. "I trusted him with my life, but..."

She turned around, staring at her empty hands before lifting tear-laden eyes to meet his golden stare. "Inuyasha, I couldn't trust you with my heart."

Inuyasha watched the flowers scatter in the water and found himself leaning forward anxiously. He wasn't sure if she realized it or not, but instead of wildflowers in the water, all he saw were pieces of a broken heart.

For the past five years, he had spent most of his days trying to decipher the true reason for her abrupt departure and always came up empty. He had thought that she would always be there with him, and that nothing would be able to take her away from him. It turned out that he was the only thing capable of driving her away.

The hanyō was on the ground in seconds, striding towards her. "Kagome-"

"No, stop."

Inuyasha jerked to a halt, his out-stretched hand stilling. "Kagome?"

"Please, let me finish." She wouldn't look at him. "You need to know everything."

He forced his hand back down and nodded, unease squeezing his chest like a vise. "Alright."

Kagome gave him a fleeting smile before looking away. "Eventually that fear turned to anger and I did something I will regret until the end of my days." She swiped a hand over her wet cheeks. "I think I knew then that you were still confused about your own feelings, but I went ahead and backed you into a corner anyway. I demanded that you tell me which one of us you truly loved."

_She jabbed an angry finger into his chest. "Tell me!"_

_His mouth moved, but couldn't form words. "I...I..."_

_"What is so hard about this, Inuyasha? It's a simple question!" Kagome glared at him. "Who do you love more? Kikyō or me?"_

_His dumbstruck look shifted into a harsh scowl. "It isn't as simple as that!"_

_"What could possibly be simpler? It's me or her."_

_"Then I can't give you an answer." He crossed his arms and looked away._

_Kagome blinked at him. "Why not?"_

_"I just can't."_

_"What do you mean, you can't?"_

_"I mean exactly what I said. I can't."_

_Her entire body was trembling with rage. "You don't know, do you?"_

_He shook his head. "I do so."_

_Kagome got up into his face and shouted. "Then why won't you tell me?"_

_He turned and growled. "Because I love you both!"_

She let out a shaky laugh. "I was so young and stupid that day. There was no direct answer to that question because you really did love us both. I didn't understand that until I learned for myself that it was possible."

Inuyasha swallowed back his growl. "You fell in love with someone else?"

Kagome couldn't quite quell her sob and hung her head. "You were right, Inuyasha. When I agreed to see Hōjō, getting over you was my real motivation. I thought that if I fell in love with someone else that all my memories of you would disappear."

"Did they?" The hanyō didn't try to hide the anger in his voice.

"No, it only made them stronger in my mind. The harder I tried to get rid of you, the more rooted you became. I should have known that from the beginning." She met his harsh gaze and braved a smile. "You're the most stubborn person I know."

He wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or not, considering the circumstances in which she meant it. "You still didn't answer my first question."

"Did I fall in love with Hojo?" She snorted at his raised brow. "No, at least not in the way you're thinking. He became a very dear friend that I have a lot of affection for.” She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "And as much as I wished I could love him like he deserved, I couldn't...because my heart still yearned for you."

"How is all this supposed to make me feel any better?"

"Haven't you listened to a word I've said?" Kagome's jaw clenched with frustration. "I'm telling you that I was wrong to try and force something on you. I couldn't understand then how you could possibly love two people at once, and although I don't love Hōjō anywhere near as much as you do Kikyō, I understand how you felt now."

She took a deep breath and stepped toward him, ignoring the unapproachable body language he was giving off. "I'm trying to tell you that I was wrong and stupid, and probably made the biggest mistake of my life when I ran away. I should've trusted you because you've never failed me before, and..." She blinked through her tears once more, his stern face blurring as her heart pounded like mad in her chest. "...and I'm sorry."

His inu-yōkai whined at the sight of her and he choked back the knot in his throat. "You don't have to be sorry, Kagome. I don’t blame you for leaving."

Kagome sniffled and wiped her eyes in agitation. "Then why all the rage? I don’t understand.”

The hanyō stepped around her and sat down on an old tree stump at the creek's edge. "You're right. I have been angry with you – at least until I heard what you said earlier." He pulled his sword from his belt and laid it on the ground beside him so he could cross his legs. "How could I possibly be mad at you when it was all my fault?"

"No, it wasn't your fault." She stepped up to his left and knelt down in the glistening grass beside the stump, looking up into his pensive countenance. "Naraku was to blame."

He shook his head. "Naraku wasn't the bad guy this time."

"Inuyasha, I-" She gulped a breath to hold off a heartbroken sob. "He was screwing up what I thought and he made me do things..." Kagome tore her eyes away when he looked down at her, unable to bear the scrutiny. "I let him control me, and I...I'm...I'm so ashamed..."

"Kagome," he barked her name to silence her, hooking a clawed finger under her chin to lift her head and turning to stare into her bottomless brown eyes. "It because of me that he was able to do that in the first place. You said you resented me, that I made you feel hate and jealousy whenever I went to Kikyō. You said you thought your feelings were one-sided, and..." He sighed and looked back into the water. "I know now that I was the cause of all that. I shouldn't have ignored you like that. I shouldn't have compared you to Kikyō all the time."

"I was being petty when I said those things, Inuyasha. Kikyō was an amazing person and to be considered in the same caliber to her is an honor." Kagome wrapped both of her hands around the one brushing her chin.

"Right. Kikyō  _was_  an amazing person. When she came back from the dead, that person was gone." He got to his feet, pulling his hand free, and lifted his head to the sky, the breeze fluttering the silver forelocks framing his face. "You were right, though. I did compare the two of you all the time in my head. You knew and I never even had to open my mouth." He smirked derisively. "Kikyō could never do that."

Her tongue ran along her lips before she spoke. "Oh?"

"You know the same as I do." Inuyasha took a deep, rejuvenating breath and was surprised when there was no pain from his battered ribs. Pressing a hand over them, his memory entertained the feeling of Kagome's fingers on them again. "I think that was why I tried so hard to ignore you once Naraku was gone. I could see how you felt about me in your eyes every time I looked into them and it scared me."

"You were afraid of me?" She frowned.

He snorted as he glanced back at her kneeling on the ground. "No, I was afraid of what I felt. The last time I returned someone's feelings for me, it got her killed."

Kagome got up and went to him, winding her arms around his waist and hugging his back. "She didn't die because you loved her." She pressed her face into the softness of his hair. "Kikyō died because Naraku is evil."

Inuyasha stared down at the hands locked around his waist, focusing on the stained bandage wrapping her injured wrist. "I...I was afraid that if I...if I told you how I felt you would..."

"That I would die too?" She squeezed him tighter, feeling his tense muscles bunch against her touch. "I could never die because of that." Kagome pulled away and moved past him, stopping at the water's edge again. "Inuyasha..."

He saw her delicate fingertips dig into the soft flesh of her upper arms as she hugged herself, the toe of her boot teasing the soggy sand of the creek's bank. She looked so forlorn standing there, like she was dangling helplessly from a rope and was watching the threads slowly unravel closer to the breaking point. The familiar optimistic spark in her eyes was slowly dimming, the ember of her usual fire smoldering into a pile of desolate ash inside her. He frowned as he waited for her to finish her thought, wondering if he had succeeded in finally destroying the one good thing he had left.

She pulled in a shuddering breath. "Do you love me?"

The hanyō watched the moonlight reflect blue against the dark blanket of her hair, braided down to her waist. His breath caught in his throat, suddenly feeling as if someone had put a set of blinders on him and all he could see was Kagome. The trees, the creek, the wind blowing in his ears; all of it faded away in the magnitude of her presence. She didn't have to move, or even speak, the sheer essence of her being enough to knock him flat. It had always been that way with Kagome. Even when he was on the edge of death, she was still able to dominate his thoughts.

Inuyasha moved up alongside her, reaching out to caress her hair. "You know the answer to that."

Kagome jerked away from his touch, wide eyes drilling him to the bone. "No, Inuyasha. I don't." She stared at him. "Do you _love_ me?"

He scowled at her rebuke to his affections. "What's the difference?"

"There's a big difference!" She gritted her teeth. "When you just love someone, you do everything in your power to help them and keep them happy, even if it's at expense of yourself." Kagome pointed angrily in the direction of the camp. "I love every one of the people back there as if they were my blood family. I would do anything to keep them safe from Naraku. I would die for them, just like I would die for you."

The tears slammed her hard, burning thick trails down her cheeks as she walked over and framed his void face with her hands. "But when you  _really_  love someone, with every fiber of your body and soul," she traced her fingers over his brow, brushing aside his bangs as she moved to the strong line of his nose, "and when you want nothing more than to spend your days constantly at his side, but that isn't what makes him happy, you can make the ultimate sacrifice and let them go."

"Kagome," Inuyasha grasped her hands as their feathering touch brushed his skin. "What are you saying?"

Her lips quivered as she gazed into his enchantingly golden eyes. "That I love you enough to let you go be with someone else if you don't feel the same," she strangled a sob and threw herself into the warmth of his broad chest, arms constricting around his tense neck, "but I can't go on not knowing."

"Kagome, I..." The hanyō gently pried her arms loose and set her back so he could look into her ethereal features.

The priestess surveyed his oddly calm expression and felt like someone had plunged a dagger into her heart. She squirmed in his steely grasp. "Please, Inuyasha. I can see it in your face." Kagome pulled futilely at her arms. "Just let me go so I can get on with my life!"

He disregarded her pleas, allowing himself to  _really_  look at her and comprehending for the first time that he didn't feel that normal sense of guilt he felt whenever he was alone with Kagome.

What she had said was true, he  _did_  love Kikyō, but that love paled in comparison to the one he felt for Kagome. It encompassed every part of him, even his dog, to the point where one of her smiles could kill any thoughts in her head and a single tear could send him on a rampage to hurt whoever caused it. Kikyō had desired living together, but the thought of it had always made the hair on the back of his neck rise. He had never felt that way for Kikyō, and although he fought for her, he did it more out of obligation than love. The dead priestess had wanted him to change, to become human, and here was this woman that loved him just the way he was. Kikyō had always been guarded around him, even at her most vulnerable, but he could kill Kagome at this very moment and meet no resistance; Kagome trusted him to a point he found unfathomable.

Which brought him back to Kagome's tearful declaration: could he let her if she didn’t want him?

He imagined seeing her brilliant smile gifted upon Kōga or that bumbling idiot, Hōjō, and suddenly realized how much he'd come to love that smile, with her twinkling eyes and glowing skin. He knew he'd rather see that smile gifted to someone else than to see it die off in his company like a diseased animal.

Yeah, he knew what she meant.

He gripped her harder when she nearly slipped loose, so caught up in her struggle to get free that she was kicking at his legs in retaliation. "Stop being so stubborn, Inuyasha.” She leaned back until her rump was nearly touching the ground, pulling desperately. "Let me go!”

Inuyasha snorted. "Kagome, relax."

The priestess ignored him. "Why did I think I could have an emotional conversation with you?” She jerked her arms around wildly. "Ugh, it’s like talking to a brick wall."

"Kagome." His voice dropped an octave as a vein ticked above his eye.

"I guess an answer is too much to ask, since it’s not like my mental and emotional health mean anything around here. I might have spiritual powers, but I’m not a freaking psychic.”

Inuyasha felt his inu-yōkai bristle and yanked her up against his body, pinning her arms to her sides. "Kagome!"

"What?!" Her chest heaved up and down against his as she shot him a full throttle death glare, completely unaware of the beast she was stirring.

He met her stare with a snarling one of his own. "Shut up!"

She stood up onto her tiptoes, her nose brushing against his. "Why should I? It’s not like you’re saying anything!”

"Fuck, you are so dramatic!”

Kagome only had a second to register his words before his mouth slammed against hers. The surprise was short lived as she melted into the hot heat of his mouth, her fight fleeing in the face of such raw possessiveness. His rough hands trapped her arms to her sides, but reined in the length of her body and sealed it tight to every valley and ridge of his muscled frame. The crushing force of his lips should have hurt, but all she could feel was a delirious pleasure stirring inside her belly as she surrendered to his mouth completely.

There was a fog wrapping around his brain that could not be budged; it was her scent and it was driving him insane. He wanted to touch her, taste her, and devour her until she was only left capable of moaning his name. Inuyasha basked in her submittal, ensnaring her tongue with his own and growling low in his throat when she whimpered. He raked his teeth along her lower lip, nudging her chin up with his nose and latching onto the satin-like skin of her throat.

Inuyasha's tongue blazed a trail up her neck to suck on the tender flesh behind her ear and Kagome simply let her head fall back, eyes fluttering from sensory overload. It was all so overwhelming; she had never imagined in her wildest dreams that he would be like this with her. Kagome was finding it hard to breathe and was leaning more and more of her weight into his body as the strength in her legs failed. He caught her when her knees buckled and wasn't deterred from the focus of his attention in the slightest when he followed her down onto his knees.

Biting her lip, Kagome tried to twist her hands free. "Inuyasha..."

"What?" The hanyō gave himself a mental shake and dragged his mouth back over to nip her chin, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her so flushed and glowing.

"Let me go." She tried to push closer, but his hands held her back. "Please."

He gave her a wolfish grin and loosened his hands. "Alright."

Kagome sat up onto her knees and took hold of his face, kissing him just as aggressively. He was passive at first, letting her smother him with her frustration, but when her hands crept up to massage the base of his ears, Kagome felt him shudder. She instantly gentled the pressure of her lips and slowly traced them over his face. She continued to feather kisses along his jawline when the rumble in his chest became constant, and pressed herself intimately into the bizarrely arousing sensation. Turning back to his insistent lips, she sighed when he broke the tie holding her braid and freed her long wavy hair.

Inuyasha delved his hands through her ebony locks, his arms wrapped around her back. He focused on the silken texture to help himself relax, and it was nearly impossible when she so willingly threw herself at him. The heavy weight of her aroused scent tried to rob him of his wits, but he managed to keep a hold on his senses.

His inu-yōkai threatened a hostile takeover even now, but he knew enough to know that he couldn't let that happen. He didn't want to do this here, out in the middle of nowhere, and with his dog so very close to rising, he didn't want to hurt her. Kagome's body was sending him all the right signals, but he held back. He wasn't sure if she realized what she was asking of him, and if he acted on it, he might scare her.

Kagome leaned away from him when he went still, worry permeating her heady state as he trembled under her touch. "Inuyasha," she touched his cheek where a soft lavender stripe had appeared, "are you alright?"

"Yes," his amber eyes opened to stare intensely at her, "but we have to stop."

She moved her hands to rest on his shoulders, easily feeling the quiver of his muscles underneath her fingers. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"No, don't be sorry." He pulled her tightly into his arms, and smothered the urge to continue where they had left off. "I just don't want to hurt you."

"You could never hurt me, Inuyasha." She pressed her face into his neck and just inhaled his earthy, male scent.

He growled. "Do you know what you're asking? I don't want to risk scaring you because I hurt you."

Kagome smirked at his stubbornness and gently pushed his shoulders. "I'm not a nervous, naive teenager anymore. I know exactly where this leads."

"No." Inuyasha stiffened against her, dropping his arms and pushing her away. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I won't...not like this. You deserve better than out here in the woods." He growled through another wave of his inu-yōkai's protest and was left panting. "I...I don't know if I could control myself."

Kagome watched the sweat pour off his brow. "Inuyasha..." She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, closing her eyes and reaching into her power. "Ssh, Inuyasha..."

There was suddenly a tingling sensation running rampant through his body, and his dog ceased its rebellion in the presence of Kagome's power. The tremors racking his body vanished and the tightness in his chest lifted. "Whoa…”

Her brown eyes snapped open and she leaned back. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Oh, good." She grinned and touched his cheek, now blank. "I didn't know you were such a handful."

Inuyasha ignored her attempt at humor and dropped his head. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to do that. It won't happen again."

"Inuyasha, it's alright. I'm fine and I'm not upset." She smiled and tipped up his face. "I trust you."

He watched her yawn and had his haori draped around her shoulders before she could finish. Snagging her hands, he pulled her with him when he laid back and rested his head on a root of the tree stump. "You should get some sleep."

"Yes, mother." She settled between his legs and laid flat against the warmth of his body, feeling the evidence of his arousal pressing against her belly.

Inuyasha froze. "Kagome..."

"I told you. I'm not scared of you." She smiled warmly and gave him a languid kiss before nestling her head against his shoulder.

He swallowed awkwardly and just buried his nose in her hair, pulling his haori tight around them to chase away the chill. They stayed that way for at least an hour, but he knew she was still awake by the rhythm of her breathing. "Kagome?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you love me?"

He snorted. "Of course it's true."

Kagome lifted her head to look at him. "But you didn’t-."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

She stared at his hurt scowl and knew he was right, especially when it came to his emotions. "I'm sorry. It just that my head has been screwed up about this for so long."

He shook his head. "I'm the one that's sorry. I should have told you a long time ago." He kissed her brow. "I just can't believe how someone like you could feel that way about someone like me."

"You sell yourself short, Inuyasha. Everyone deserves to be loved by someone, no matter who or what they are." Kagome rubbed his ear. "I love you and I dare anyone to tell me I can't."

"Feh," he snorted, "always trying to take on the world."

She smiled. "Tell me, Inuyasha."

"Tell you what?"

"You know what."

"Oh, that I love you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

 

Akago could see the priestess's eye was drawn the girl sitting silently in the corner of the room. "Is she a bother? I'd be more than happy to remove her presence."

Kikyō looked at Rin a moment longer before sliding her disdainful gaze back to him. "You endanger yourself greatly to choose her as your vassal."

He smiled. "I have not suffered yet, and I do not fear any recoil for it. Sesshōmaru has shown no interest in the girl's welfare."

The reanimated woman noted a subtle stiffening in the girl's spine, but alerted Akago to nothing. She turned her full attention to Naraku's incarnation. "Are you prepared for what I have planned?"

"I never imagined that I would be following the order of my mortal enemy, but yes, I am fully prepared to aid you in your quest to destroy Kagome."

"I was told you still possess the  _Fuyōheki._ "

Akago smiled at her. "Why would you ask such a question when I know you can sense auras?"

Kikyō got to her feet. "It was a mere question. It would not do well for you to ambush Inuyasha and his precious Kagome without proper concealment."

"Oh, I assure you, Kikyō, I am fully aware of their capabilities." He crossed his arms and looked up at her mischievously. "I have a special treat in store for them."

She frowned. "What are you-"

The rickety doors to the hut slid open and Kohaku stepped through them, going down onto to one knee. "Please excuse my interruption, Lady Kikyō, but Kagura has returned from her scouting mission."

"Thank you, Kohaku." She spared Akago one last glance as she stood up. "Don't forget that Kagome is your target. I will make sure that Inuyasha is occupied."

"And what of the monk and taijiya?"

"They will be taken care of as well."

Akago nodded. "Very well, Kikyō."

The meeting over, the priestess strode through the doors and into the dark blanket of night. Kohaku took it upon himself to lead her to the wind witch, taking her down the steps and along the muddied street. He stopped after only a few houses and stood at the foot of the stairs. "She is inside."

Kikyō gave him a curt nod and strode up the steps and into the secluded hut. The one room building was even darker than outside, but she could find Kagura nonetheless. Cutting her eyes to the right, she made out the slim silhouette of her near the wall. "Is something bothering you, Kagura?"

"Yes," she stepped forward with a delicate sneer on her face, "I detest you."

"Such is the way of yōkai and priestesses."

"That isn't what I was referring to and you fucking know it."

Kikyō lifted a calm brow in the face of her wrath. "Did my little errand upset you?"

"I may be yōkai, but I respected you and your power. I thought you would always be, at the very least, honorable, but I guess having a soul ruled by hatred would be able to rid you of even that." She spat the words like a bad taste was stuck in her mouth. "You're acting no different than Naraku now...slinking around in the shadows and having me spy on your enemy."

"I never claimed to be anything but what you see before you, and if it insults your delicate sensibilities to be used as you were meant when Naraku created you, then you can forget about getting my help in achieving freedom."

Kagura's hand twitched on her fan, longing to strike her down. "I was mistaken to seek your aid."

"That very well may be, but I have not forgotten what you swore to me. If you continue to do as I ask, then I will hold to my end of the bargain." She smiled. "I may have lost your respect, but you still have my word and if you wish to keep it, I suggest you refrain from these childish complaints."

"Have you forgotten who you're dealing with?" Kagura slid her fan from her obi.

"No." Kikyō effortlessly turned to face her with her bow raised and an arrow notched. "If my errand was so unpleasant, then what was your purpose in completing it?"

The wind sorceress smiled sardonically and dropped her hand from her fan. "I wish to keep my life. I am not so stupid, Kikyō."

"Good." She lowered her weapon. "Tell me what you saw."

"The hanyō and the priestess."

"Where?"

"A few miles from here, near the creek."

Kikyō slid her arrow back into her quiver. "What were they doing?"

Kagura gave her a dispassionate glance. "Is that information really necessary?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going into any detail, but it seemed they were having an intimate encounter."

Kagura waited for the woman to explode into a rage, but instead a soft chuckle escaped her lips. "It is as I suspected."

The yōkai eyed her warily. "What do you mean?"

Kikyō gifted her with a wicked grin. "Inuyasha is always watchful for danger, especially when around Kagome. If you were able to be within close proximity and stay there for an extended period of time, it means he was too distracted to sense your presence."

"Inuyasha has never been the one I worry about. Kagome is just as dangerous."

"Perhaps, but she has never been an alert girl. She is easily surprised and although she possesses my powers, Kagome has not received the proper training."

"What does all this mean, exactly?" Kagura watched as the Kikyō strode over to the wall and sat down.

Kikyō set down her bow and quiver, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the wooden planks. "It means the two of them are too absorbed in each other to protect themselves from an ambush."

* * *

 

Sesshōmaru cracked open one eye and watched the dark cloud approach from the south. The scent was one he knew well, and it took all the strength in his body to keep from launching himself into his father's courtyard and attacking.

Naraku.

He remained sitting beneath the large tree on the plateau overlooking his father's estate, pure ire flooding his veins as the cloud swept down to blanket the fortress where he had been raised. Naraku had committed numerous trespasses against him, thinking the mighty dai-yōkai could be manipulated, but knowing that he had chosen this place above all others was the highest insult. The Western Lands were the foundation for Inu no Taishō's legacy, the last remaining piece of the great inu-yōkai, and there was no end to the length he was willing to go in order to defend it.

And yet he stayed reclined against the robust tree, relying on his extensive senses to keep informed of his enemy's movements. Sesshōmaru had spent the last two days simply observing the brat, Hakudōshi and learning all that he deemed relevant to his knowledge. He knew the adolescent's aura and its behavior when he was experiencing various emotions, and he could feel the boy's fear and frustration now as he spoke with his master.

It was extremely obvious that he despised his role in Naraku's little scheme now that there was no one to fight. Hakudōshi had been restless for hours now and Sesshōmaru could envision him pacing up and down the long corridors of his father's fortress. The unwavering buzz of his aura was so prolonged that Sesshōmaru had to actually force himself to remain awake through sporadic periods of exhaustion.

It was a very rare thing for him to become physically tired, however, it routinely occurred when he remained stagnant in one position for many hours. He would have preferred to strike immediately, but he was forced to stay his hand until Jaken and A-Un had returned from their errand.

Never before could he imagine having to seek the aid of his half-blood brother, but years ago his father had barred him from the fortress, just as he had barred the Western Lands from Inuyasha. In order to gain access to the estate, he had to first allow his hanyō sibling passage at the border because only Inuyasha could lift the barrier from around the fortress itself.

It is maddening to think that just anyone or anything could venture through such sacred ground, except for the only one worthy of such a privilege.

Sesshōmaru continued to monitor the rising agitation in Hakudōshi’s aura, and just when he thought the boy would shatter into pieces, Naraku's presence lifted from the fortress in the all too familiar swirling cloud. As much as he would like to pretend his curiosity wasn't piqued, the dai-yōkai actually had more trouble containing himself now than before; it was obvious that something big was being put into motion.

Not a second after the thought passed through his mind, an enormous figure appeared, crawling up the side of the massive tower overlooking Inu no Taishō's estate. It held a human form, but it was a stretch to consider it such. The flesh was marked with stripes of deep green and only a short amount of hair fell around its face. Sesshōmaru didn't know that the creature had a name, or that his hanyō sibling had already encountered it years before, but his instincts told him to be wary of it anyway. He watched fastidiously as a pair of wings erupted out of the flesh of its back, spreading wide to launch itself into the darkness of the night.

Sesshōmaru watched Mōryōmaru disappear over the horizon and relaxed back into the tree, knowing the only action he could take was to continue waiting for his servant's return.

* * *

 

"Is he asleep?"

Kagome listened to the soft waft of Inuyasha's breath in her ear and smiled at Sango.

"Yeah." She adjusted her posture so the snoozing hanyō could lie against her back more comfortably, and massaged the reins to reassure Shunsoku that the added weight on his back wasn't going to hurt him. "It's stupid, really. He decided to stay awake all through the night because we were away from the camp. I don't know if you noticed how close he was to collapsing this morning."

Miroku yawned and scratched the back of his head. "He did seem off, but I just assumed it was because of something else."

"Miroku!" Sango let out a soft gasp and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"What?" He clutched his torso and scowled at her, turning on Kirara's back so he could face Kagome. "I only assumed that..."

"You assumed that they-!"

"Did nothing," Kagome interrupted the irate taijiya, choking back the furious blush in her face. "Nothing happened...we just..." She tore her gaze away from the couple, and the amused grin on Shippo's face, to stare down the hill at the approaching village. "...talked."

"That must have been _quite_  the conversation."

Sango twisted around to grab the folds of his robe, her voice growling out from between clenched teeth. "I swear, monk. You will not live to see tomorrow if you don't shut up."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh as they continued to bicker, lavishing in the warmth Inuyasha's body was lending her. It was an indescribable feeling to finally wake up caught in his powerful embrace, to tilt her head and meet his soft amber eyes as they gazed upon as if she was the only thing in the world worth looking at.

She had thought she might have had a chance to watch  _him_  sleep for a change, but he had ousted her before she had the chance. There had been a handful of times she had caught him sleeping in the past and those moments were precious to her. Kagome only hoped she would get to chance to see him so peaceful again soon.

She dropped the reins onto Shunsoku’s neck and pulled Inuyasha's arms tighter around her middle, reaching up to steady his head on her shoulder. She hadn't been happy when she found out he had stayed awake the entire night. It was a reckless move considering how close they were to meeting up with Naraku again, especially when he was still healing from the wounds Koga had inflicted on him the day before. She'd staunchly ignored his “I'm half yōkai” excuse and had to almost literally drag him back to the camp. That, in turn, led to a ten minute staring contest when he refused to get up on Shunsoku with her. His eyes had eventually drooped and she had victoriously ordering him up onto the horse, all the while questioning the health of her sanity in her desire to pursue a relationship with him.

The shabby outskirts of the village popped up immediately upon their cresting of the hill, and group slowly made their way down the muddied slope and into the narrow streets. Kagome shivered in the face of such a desolate landscape, seeing the ghosts of the people that had once inhabited the tiny community as if they hadn't left. They moved up the economic scale with each new row of buildings, from the poorest peasants to the richer nobility, and saw that the destruction had been dealt out equally to them all. No one and no object had been spared.

Kagome glanced over at her friends and saw the apprehension in their faces. This was the same area they had come to yesterday, only to be attacked by an unsuspected enemy. Miroku gently wrapped an arm around Sango's shoulders, careful of her sling, and leveled his Shakujō. Kagome watched his eyes scan the buildings intently, as if he was looking for trouble already.

She suddenly felt her stomach knot, and brought Shunsoku to a halt. "There's something out there."

"Yes," Miroku nodded, "I can sense it too, but what is it?"

Kagome's eyes drifted over each and every piece of debris, along every housing structure, and into every shadow. There was a presence there with them, watching and waiting. She gave Shunsoku a tentative nudge with her heels, reaching behind her to gently squeeze Inuyasha's thigh. "Inuyasha..."

As if waiting for her anxious whisper, there was suddenly an arrow protruding from Shunsoku’s delicately arched neck. The horse reared, squealing shrilly with pain and fear, and Kagome desperately tried to stay on, but the abrupt movement had woken up Inuyasha and in his disorientation, he tightened his hold on her body. All she could see was the wild eyes of her horse as they fell, flashing white and rolling in their sockets like a thing possessed.

They slammed into the unforgiving dirt, the hanyō breaking her fall as she watched Shunsoku fling his head wildly while he bolted into the village, taking her bow and arrows with him. She lamented for their loss for only a moment before rolling over. "Inuyasha!"

"I'm fine." He pushed her off of him and got to his feet, sliding the Tessaiga from its sheath and staring in the direction from which the arrow had come. He didn't want to make assumptions because it tended to bring him more trouble than he wanted, but it was impossible for him to not think of Kikyō. None of their enemies used such a weapon, and it obviously wasn't Kagome's. "Come out, you fucking coward!"

As if commanded, a pair of blades flew out of the hut directly in front of them to carve a set of shallow ditches at Kirara's feet. The saber-tooth cat leapt into the air just as Kagura dashed out of the ramshackle building to chase them, sweeping her fan upward to send forth more blades. The onslaught was so great that it was all Kirara could do to evade them, her passengers nearly helpless on her back.

Inuyasha made to follow them, but was thwarted by another expertly placed arrow. He whipped his fiery amber eyes to the dark doorway, a heart-stopping growl rising out of his throat. He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and felt, more than saw, Kagome move behind him. He suddenly felt nauseous knowing who hid behind the veil of shadows and all the implications that came with it.

Kikyō was working with Naraku’s pets.

The thought was short-lived as the woman herself stepped into the light, her bow trained on his head. There was no evil, crazed smirk that twisted her face into an ugly mask, only a hard stare on an otherwise empty expression. She had not changed at all; what he was expecting, he didn't know.

She stared at him and the intensity of her gaze drove straight through him, seeing through his angry façade and falling upon the immense sense of guilt infecting his heart. Kikyō didn't react to that either, continuing to just pin him where he stood until he realized she was really staring at Kagome.

Inuyasha flexed his fingers around Tessaiga’s hilt. "Why are you helping him, Kikyō?"

He felt Kagome's fingers dig into his flesh as the reanimated priestess pulled her bow tighter. "You're in my way, Inuyasha."

Kagome glared from over Inuyasha's shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking back my soul."

The only thing either of them heard was the sharp twang of Kikyō’s bowstring as she released the arrow to strike.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: wounds and blood.

_“To perceive is to suffer.” – Aristotle_

* * *

Inuyasha didn't hold back an ounce of his strength when he collided with her, throwing her backward and into the unforgiving earth. Kagome saw stars when her head cracked into the ground and she lost all touch with her surroundings. Pain billowed through her skull and muffled the shouting voices of the other people around her. She could barely discern Inuyasha's bellowing yell from the buzz in her ears and weakly rolled onto her belly.

Dragging her arms through the dirt, Kagome levered up and gave a bleary look around. It was as if everyone had suddenly disappeared to leave her alone on the empty street. It was logical that Miroku and Sango were gone; Kirara had taken them and Shippō in her flight from Kagura. What bothered her was how fast Inuyasha seemed to have vanished as well...

Sitting up on her knees, Kagome suffered a wave of nausea as she called out his name. "Inuyasha!"

No answer, not even a rustle of the ratty roof eaves.

Giving her head a gentle shake to help relieve the fog ailing it, she slowly got to her feet and started to make her way towards the building from which Kikyō had emerged. The two of them had been there and gone in the span of a few seconds, and the hut seemed like the only logical place to go. She took a hesitant step up onto the porch, grasping the nearest roof support for balance and leaned toward the doorway.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome let go of the support and moved closer, peering into the darkness of the hut. "Inuyasha, are you in there?"

She had yet to hear a reply and after another few moments of convincing herself that she wasn't suddenly afraid of the dark, Kagome moved through the open doorway. It was as if a heavy bag had been tossed over her head because she couldn't distinguish anything in the shadows where the battered roof failed to permit the bright sunlight. A familiar feeling of helplessness spread over her and she released a tense sigh when she remembered she wasn't without other senses.

Quieting the fear running rampant in her mind, Kagome reached out with tiny feelers of her power to permeate the corners of the room. Her wide brown eyes fluttered shut as she searched for him. His aura was even more familiar to her than her own, it was just a matter of locating it. Her feet slid forward of their own accord when her efforts yielded no results and a frown marred her serene features. "Inuyasha..."

As his name fell from her lips, there was a tiny flare to her immediate left. However, the feeling she received was the exact opposite of Inuyasha's as the hanyō’s aura never failed to comfort and reassure her. This one brought a hollow knot of foreboding in her stomach and she shuddered as its cold burn washed over her.

The anxious hand she hadn't realized she'd reached out jerked back to clench tightly at her side as she opened her eyes to stare into the black veil sheltering the other occupant of the room. "Who's there?"

"Please...you have to leave this place..."

Kagome blinked with confusion. The voice was strained...and feminine. "Who are you?"

"Lady Kagome...please..." There was a painful choking sound that made her wince. "Please...you have...you have to..."

Kagome took a tentative step forward. "Do I know you?"

The voice sobbed quietly. "Yes...you helped me in the past..." There was an anguished groan. "But that is why you have to leave!" A gasp. "Now!"

Kagome didn't recognize the voice, but she couldn't bear to hear another word and proceeded to walk into the shadows until she finally found the mewling girl hunched against the wall. "Oh, gods..." Kagome grasped her shoulders and tried to lift the girl's face, but she shook off her hands. Kagome smiled grimly and knew now that she wouldn't be able to leave this girl until she found a way to help her. "I'm just trying to help you."

The girl's head whipped back and forth violently, an eerie chuckle falling from her hidden lips. "Fool...you need...need to leave this place!"

Kagome felt the stirrings of indignation in the pit of her stomach. "Stop telling me to leave! I'm not going anywhere unless you come with me."

"I...can't...stop him anymore..." The girl's spine snapped straight, her arms flying out to shove Kagome backward.

Kagome winced as her backside collided with the hard floor, pain flooding her body again. The girl sounded like she was being tortured and Kagome could sense the cloud of evil surrounding her; she recalled Miroku and Sango's accounts of a girl possessed in the village and that they believed her to be the long lost ward of Sesshōmaru.

She looked up as the girl moved forward into the light and felt her mouth sag open. "It  _is_  you!"

Rin stood looking down on her, dressed in the regal kimono Akago had given her the night before and simply lifted her right hand, where Sango's wakizashi was clenched tight in her grip.

Kagome's huge umber eyes flicked between the short sword and Rin's not-so-warm caramel stare, feeling her heart start to gallop in her chest. The girl's innocent aura was completely blanketed now and she could only sense the evil of her possessor. She  _knew_  this evil, had faced it in the past, and now knew just how Naraku was able to gain control of her and Kōga.

Scooting backward, Kagome felt around in the dark for something she could use to defend herself as she spoke. "Rin?" She tried to pace her breathing before her fight-or-flight made her hyperventilate. "I know you're in there somewhere, Rin. He took control of me once too, but you can break free of his grasp. I know you can push him out, Rin." Her hand bumped into a jagged piece of wood. "You can do it because I did it too. If I can do it, you can do it."

A painful grimace wafted over Rin's face. "This girl isn't a priestess, Kagome. You know that." She took a few steps closer, the blade glinting dangerously in the rays of light shooting in through the open roof. "Her spiritual power is close to nil. She has no hope of dislodging the piece of my aura that I have embedded in her body."

The voice was Rin's, but the one speaking wasn't the young woman bearing down on her. Kagome wrapped her fingers around the wooden weapon and kept her eyes trained on the blade. "Up to games again, Akago? I would've thought you'd grown out of those childish antics."

He laughed, but it came out of Rin's mouth more like a groaning cough. "It  _has_  been awhile, Kagome. I never thought I'd get the chance to kill you again."

"So you're not after the shards this time?"

"They're just an added bonus after I slit your skinny little neck." Rin stalked closer, her feet stopping just inches shy of hers. "Father will be so proud."

Kagome couldn't help an anxious laugh. "Father? Ha! That would be the day."

"Much has changed since you ran away with your tail between your legs."

She felt her face flush angrily and gripped the wood even tighter. "Rin! I know you're in there!"

Akago swung Rin's arm out and the blade sang through the empty space where Kagome's head had been. Rin's eyes followed the Kagome's duck and cover maneuver and she smiled when Kagome got to her feet brandishing her makeshift weapon. "I already told you. She can't hear you."

Kagome started to circle and focused her senses on the clouded aura of the girl opposite her. "You can say what you want, Akago. I can feel her fighting you." She tightened the grip on her weapon as the ripples of Rin's retaliation filtered through the layers of the Akago's evil. "Rin! Fight him!"

"I told you!" The girl lunged forward and slashed outward with the sword. "She is nothing!"

She threw up the wood to block the blow and stumbled backward when the blade split it clear in two. Kagome blinked with astonishment and darted into the neighboring shadows when Rin's puppet-like lunge with the wakizashi nearly impaled her. Her chest heaved up and down as she hid, staring widely at the shuddering body of the girl in front of her as she clutched her throbbing wrist.

Rin had grown up so beautifully that Kagome was captured with awe for several moments. She had always thought the girl had an elfin quality about her, as though she was a fairy creature given a human form. Rin had one of those free spirits that was innately attached to her environment to the point it was nearly cognitive. It was as if she could understand the nature of all things, whether they be human, animal, plant, or yōkai.

Staring at her now, Kagome saw that the nymph-like quality hadn't really left at all, but had gotten refined to the smallest nuance. Her body may have grown taller, softened with curves, and flourished with grace, but it had retained each and every bit of the magical essence that was the orphan Rin. The effect was enhanced all the more by the sleek, Akita-accented kimono she was draped in. Of the many goddesses Kagome had encountered in her travels, Rin seemed more of a deity then any of the others had.

The young woman's arm jerked as the blade twisted in her hand, and Kagome realized that magic could also be very dangerous if someone thought to take advantage of it.

Feeling the force of Rin's refusal to submit, Kagome knew it was only a matter of time before Akago's hold on her slipped and she would be damned if she wasn't going to help her thwart him. She pressed herself against the wall and silently stood up, hands braced on either side of the wall beside her hips. "I think you need re-evaluate your assessment of her, Akago."

Rin's body jerked like she was suffering from tetanus and her voice growled out of her throat. "I don't understand where this strength is coming from! She should not be able to do this to me!"

Kagome watched Rin continue to convulse, moments of the body's true owner shining through in her eyes and knew what she was going to do only moments before she did it. "Rin! I can help you, but I need you to let go of the sword first!"

The blade swung in her direction again. "Shut up, wench!"

The priestess was unperturbed. "I need you to do this before I can help you, Rin!" Kagome moved around the wildly swinging sword, hands held in front of her defensively. "I can do the rest, but all I need you to do is drop the sword!"

The girl's arm shot upward stiffly, her slender muscles jumping under her porcelain skin and the blade began to quiver in her grip. A pained snarl spread across her face. "Lit...little bitch!"

Rin's mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes pinched shut. "No!"

"That's it, Rin! Just a little more!" Kagome watched her fingers working on the hilt of the wakizashi, her heart in her throat.

"K...Ka...” Her knees suddenly buckled as her arm turned the blade against her own throat. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and she started to sob. "Kagome...help me."

* * *

 

Inuyasha skidded to a halt in the gravel-strewn street, a fine powdery dust swirling around his suddenly still feet. His golden gaze darted back and forth, searching for the red and white clad woman that had suddenly vanished. The quiet breeze flitted through the ruff of fur on Tessaiga’s hilt as his claws clenched tight around it. "Kikyō! You coward!"

Moving forward, the hanyō prowled down the deserted street. "Show your face, Kikyō! I know you're hiding from me!"

He scented the air, inhaling deeply and latching onto the distinctive scent of Kikyō’s soil-infused flesh. He trotted after it, slipping between two dilapidated huts and tracking right along the charred remains of an herb garden. Inuyasha only hesitated his ground-eating stride for a moment when he realized she was watching him from the steps of the adjacent hut and he lunged toward her in instantaneous rage. His keen ears caught the quiet jingling sound in the background, but the buzzing wrath fogging his brain kept him from acknowledging it.

As he dove for the statuesque priestess, a glint of gray flashed in his peripheral and something cold and slick seized his throat. Inuyasha suddenly found himself gagging as he attempted to draw a breath from his lungs. He buckled to his knees and tried to break loose using his sword-less hand, his amber eyes glaring at the amused priestess gracefully setting herself down on the step before him.

The shrewd woman lifted a delicate brow. "Is there something bothering you, Inuyasha?"

The inu-yōkai inside him snarled in response and Inuyasha merely shifted his eyes to the length of chain leading away from his throat. He followed it as far as his predicament would allow, but the angle of the chain told him the other end was somewhere near the hut with the over-baked garden.

Taking a strong hold of the sturdy links, he jerked the chain down and across his body. The abruptness of his action was enough to surprise the person on the other end and Kohaku skidded along the battered floorboards as he was exposed. The boy blinked with wide eyes, but remembered what side of the fight he was on and quickly resumed his expressionless façade.

The tug also managed to give some slack to the chain and Inuyasha sucked in a deep breath. "What...are you do...doing, Kikyō?"

She smiled crookedly. "I was just thinking that it was about time someone put you on a leash."

The hanyō’s eyes narrowed as he slowly got up off his knees. "Don't fucking play games with me, I hate being toyed with."

"Then what good are you as a dog?"

"You fucking bitch!" The smarting remark sent him reaching for her neck, but Kohaku managed to barely hold him back. Incensed by his hindrance, Inuyasha whirled on Kohaku.

He stabbed Tessaiga into the soil and wrapped his right arm up in the chain, twisting sharply and hauling the boy toward him. The young taijiya was ready though, and slashed out with his kusarigama as he was dragged within range. Inuyasha didn't even hesitate as he snatched the blade mid-swing and ripped it right out of Kohaku's hand.

Blood leeched out from between his fingers and ran down the sickle's handle to splatter in the dirt as Kohaku slid to stop in front of him. Inuyasha threw his left fist into his chin and growled at the groaning, fallen boy. "This has nothing to do with you, so get the hell out of my way." He tore the chain away from his neck and slung the kusarigama to the ground beside him. "Don't even think about using that on me again, or I'll forego my promise to Sango and kill you right here and now."

Kohaku held his mouth as he sat up, light brown eyes narrowed as he reached for his weapon. He moved his hand away from his face and glanced at the blood that graced his palm, feeling his broken lip with his tongue. He got to his feet with the kusarigama hanging at his side, glancing over at Kikyō.

Any previous amusement had vanished from her expression and she merely glared at him. "Go."

Kohaku's jaw clenched at her rebuke and he turned to face the hanyō. "You shouldn't be here."

Kikyō snapped to her feet. "Take heed of what you say, Kohaku. I cannot protect you from Naraku's ears."

"It doesn't matter anymore. He's already suspicious of me." He began looping the chain of his kusarigama with his free hand. "I can no longer take part in this scheme, for the shame of withholding precious information from those that need it would undo me."

Inuyasha could see the agitation in Kikyō’s face as lines of frustration creased by the edges of her eyes.

Sango's younger brother looked away from the priestess and settled his heavy gaze on the hanyō. "It was unwise to have left Kagome alone, Inuyasha."

He felt a ripple of unease worm through his belly and focused his attention on Kikyō. "Tell me why."

"I do not think you are in a position to be making demands of me."

"I don't fucking care what you think. I want to know why you're helping that son of a bitch."

"My reasons are my own."

His fingers clenched and he was shocked at his sudden desire to strangle her until she regained her senses. "How can you say that to me after what we've been through because of that fucking bastard?" He yanked the tip of Tessaiga out of the dirt and held it low beside his body. "You told me you wanted revenge against him."

She gave him a softly wicked smile. "Do not think I've forgiven Naraku in the slightest. He will receive his dues just as you will."

"Oi," he shook his head negatively. "Cut the shit, Kikyō. I know this isn't really about me, but Kagome." Inuyasha glared at her, feeling the distance between them growing by figurative leaps and bounds with each passing second. "Why are you siding with Naraku?"

The resurrected priestess flinched, her eyes watering and snapped back at him. "To get rid of Kagome!"

Inuyasha tried to ignore the hollowing of his stomach and swallowed his disbelief as well as he could manage. "She's never done anything to you. Why the hell would want her dead?"

"Because she's taking you away from me!"

Kikyō stalked forward, a slightly mad gleam in her eye as her aura visibly crackled around her body. "You were supposed to join me in hell, Inuyasha. We were supposed to spend the rest of eternity together, but that won't happen until she's out of your life permanently."

She moved in against his body, pressing herself tightly to him. "Your soul belongs to me, Inuyasha."

He knew as he stared down into her eyes that the Kikyō he had once loved was gone completely and a twisted imposter left in her place. It was like something deep inside him had finally been severed and was beyond repair. Even if the Kikyō he knew managed to reclaim her body, there was nothing left to pull him to her.

"No." Gently disentangling himself from her winding grip, Inuyasha pulled away from her awkward embrace. "It may have before, but it doesn't anymore. I gave myself to someone else."

The silken tone of her voice darkened as she gazed at him. "So I have been informed."

The hanyō blinked with confusion. "What?"

Kikyō laughed. "You think I don't know about your little tryst with my reincarnation?" She picked up her weapon and leveled it in his direction once more. "Aiding Naraku does have its advantages."

Inuyasha flicked his eyes in Kohaku's direction. "Was it you?"

"No." The somber boy held the hanyō’s stare. "She used Kagura for that. Naraku had sent us to find Kikyo, but I have my reasons for doing as she bids." He started to side-step until he was at Kikyō’s side. "But that doesn't mean I cannot warn you."

His hard amber eyes darted back to stare at Kikyō contemptuously as his chest heaved angrily. "You're no better than Naraku."

"Your opinion of me hardly concerns me now." She slid her arrow back into her quiver as Kohaku moved to shield her from the hanyō. Her cold brown eyes flicked back to the Inuyasha dismissively. "I'm leaving you in the capable hands of Kohaku while I attend to more important matters."

"You're not going anywhere!"

Inuyasha was across the street like a shot, snagging her arm in a bone-crushing grip and shoving Kohaku back with Tessaiga. He growled in response to her startled gasp and jerked her until they were nose to nose. "I came after you to find out why you're targeting Kagome and I'll be damned if you're not going to give me the real fucking answer!"

Kikyō twisted her head away, moaning softly. "Naraku wants Kagome to disappear and I'm the only one capable of luring you away in order to do that." She glanced down at the claws digging into her flesh. "You're a fool, Inuyasha. You left her totally defenseless in your verve to hunt me down."

The hanyō ignored the knife of panic stabbing his heart. "She's not as helpless as you seem to think!"

"Really?" Kikyō flared her purifying power around her body to free herself and chuckled as Inuyasha scowled and shook his burnt hand. "I find that hard to believe."

Inuyasha stared at the red, angry flesh of his palm and felt a sudden resignation when he turned his eyes back to his former lover. "What happened to you, Kikyō?"

She blinked at the concern in his quiet question. " _You_  happened to me, Inuyasha." Kikyo bowed her head. "The who and the why do not matter to me anymore. I was a priestess that fell in love with the enemy and was granted death as punishment.

"As I felt my heart slowing in my chest, I was no longer angry. I had accepted my fate in hell and was at peace." Her eyes twinkled as tears welled within them. "But because of Kagome and your antics together, my peaceful damnation was uprooted and I was brought back to this torturous realm of life. When I saw your face, all of my hate returned to consume me...including the hate I felt at myself for loving you. I thought I was the only one capable of that mistake until I saw you with Kagome and it was then that I wanted you to share my fate."

Inuyasha felt like pulling his hair out. "Why?"

"Because you were asinine enough to think you could possibly love a human girl and live peacefully...again!" Kikyō balled her delicate hands into white-knuckled fists. "You deserve to pay for that as much as I do, and so does she!"

"You're wrong, Kikyō." Inuyasha calmly lifted his sword to rest it against his shoulder. "Kagome was right. You really  _have_  lost your mind."

Her lips quivered with pent up rage. "Pray, Inuyasha. Pray that I rediscover mercy before my eyes fall upon that ignorant girl."

"Let me help you." He started toward her. "I can help you find peace again."

"You disgust me." Kikyō spun on her heel and began to walk.

Inuyasha started to jog in order to follow her. "Kikyō, wait!"

Kohaku's kusarigama lashed out to graze his cheek, stopping his pursuit instantly. The hanyō growled and lightly touched the oozing gash, glaring at the blood coating his fingers as his peripheral watched Kikyō escape. His eyes cut to the boy moving to block his path. "I already told you. I won't hesitate to kill you now."

The black and teal draped boy nodded solemnly. "I understand, but I must still detain you here."

The two of them squared off and began to circle one another, expressions of calculated resolve etched into each combatant's countenance. Their gazes were heavy and unyielding, searching meticulously for an unguarded angle in which a debilitating blow could be rendered. The air was thick around them despite the cool temperature and sweat beaded on their brows as they came ever closer to the moment when a move would be made. It felt to both the yōkai-taijiya and the hanyō that time had ceased to pass and they were stranded together in an indefinite animation of the most apprehensive kind.

It was Kohaku that struck first, lashing outward with his kusarigama with such wicked speed that it was very nearly allowed to strike its target. Tessaiga reverberated with the block and Inuyasha charged forward when the sickle was retracted back. He slashed downward at his opponent, but the boy caught the blade with his own and diverted it to his left.

The move was fluid and precise, but it left his body open to attack and Inuyasha took full advantage of it. Having been pulled to the right, he swung his left elbow backward and landed a solid, nauseating blow to Kohaku's face.

He staggered backward a few steps before jerking the chain of his weapon and swinging it within inches of the hanyō’s throat. The desired effect was achieved and they separated to a safe distance, if only momentarily.

Inuyasha watched him acknowledge the blood running from his nose and just shook his head when Kohaku wrapped his chain around his arm, preparing for the next round. "I was serious when I said I wouldn't spare you. Kagome means more to me than you, and although Sango is one of my few friends, I could live with her hating me for the rest of my life if I have to kill you."

"Well, the point is null if you take into account my already being dead." His voice was more nasally than earlier, and he straightened up from his crouch.

The hanyō noted his deadpan delivery and decided to adventure another avenue in his pursuit to dissuade the boy from fighting. The sudden image of Miroku, Sango, Shippō, and Kirara evading Kagura popped into his head and he narrowed his amber eyes in agitation. "If you're  _here_ , then you have to know that wind bitch is attacking your sister right now."

The abrupt turn of conversation was enough to disorient Kohaku and he shifted uncomfortably. "I have no reason to fear for my sister's life. Kagura would not go to such lengths."

"You and I both know if it were to become a battle to the death that Kagura wouldn't fucking hesitate to kill Sango."

Kohaku's hands clenched violently. "She wouldn't..."

"You don't sound so sure." Inuyasha watched him start to tremble with anger. "I have never trusted a yōkai and been able to share a happy ending once the dust had settled. I wouldn't trust Kagura as far as I could throw her crazy ass."

"She wouldn't dare betray the pact we made together knowing I would kill her myself if such a trespass was made against my sister!"

He snorted "Kohaku, you can't be serious."

The yōkai-taijiya's rage made him snarl, an expression Inuyasha had never before seen grace the somber boy's face. "You know nothing of what I speak. Do not try to infect my mind with falsehoods meant to destroy. I will not allow you to corrupt me."

Inuyasha sighed. "The only person capable of corrupting you is yourself."

The slight tremble of his body eased and Kohaku went still, head dropping to stare at the ground. He was silent for quite a while, merely staring intently as the cool breeze ruffled his hair. The air became more and more laden with tension with each passing second until Kohaku finally looked over at the hanyō.

His light brown eyes were once again serene with acceptance. "You must go back to Kagome, Inuyasha." He took a deep, settling breath. "And make haste. Akago laid a trap to capture her for Naraku."

The hanyō’s chest constricted painfully. "What kind of trap?"

"He planned to use Rin, who is still under his control, as bait to keep her in one location. After Kikyō lured you away, he was going to move in and take her to the Western Lands."

Inuyasha held his breath for a moment. Sesshōmaru’s territory? Why the hell would he take her there?

As if it was plain on his face, Kohaku answered his unspoken question. "Hakudōshi has taken up residence in the fortress of your father."

"Does he know he's a dead boy if Sesshōmaru finds out?"

"The dai-yōkai is already aware of their presence, but is unable to take action against them."

"Why?"

"That I do not know." He turned away and looked back at the hanyō over his shoulder. "You must not let Kagome be taken. All of your lives depend on it."

He started to run, but Inuyasha's shout stopped him. "Where are you going?"

Kohaku's jaw clenched before he answered. "To protect my sister."

* * *

 

Sango had never suffered a dislocated shoulder before and never wanted one again.

The pain radiating out of the delicate sling of muscles surrounding the battered joint were screaming at her, darkening her vision as she gently propped her unconscious husband against the wall of the stall. She wished she could just lie down beside him and sleep, wished for it with every nauseating slap of pain to her face, but she had to get up and fight.

There was a reason she couldn't succumb to her body's commands and it was waiting just outside the walls of the shabby little barn in which she was kneeling.

Kirara had taken it upon herself to distract Kagura after some of her wild maneuvering had ended with Miroku falling through the thatched roof of a barn. The nekomata had felt her panic at seeing him smack his head and fall unconscious, quickly depositing the yōkai-taijiya and the kitsune on the ground before rejoining the fight.

Sango's fingertips touched the bandage covering the gash on Miroku's head, frowning at the sight of blood on the fabric – t _he fall must have opened it up again._

Tears of frustration threatened to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them back and turned to the young kitsune standing watch at the barn's entrance. "Shippō, what's happening?"

His brilliant green eyes flashed nervously in the dark. "Kirara's not doing too well." His voice trembled despite the serious look on his face. "I don't know how much longer she can keep this up."

First Miroku, and now Kirara...

Sango took a deep breath and willed herself to ignore the pain of her shoulder, rising to her feet and starting toward Shippō. Her Hiraikotsu still rested where she'd thrown it in her rush to get to Miroku and she slipped the fingers of her right hand into the handhold, hoisting it up without missing a stride.

The fire fox watched her solemnly determined march with astonishment. "What are you doing, Sango?"

She didn't so much as acknowledge him with her attention, but still answered his question. "Ending this."

"You can't! You're still hurt!" Shippō darted away from the crack between the doors and wrapped himself around the leg closest to him. "You don't stand a chance out there by yourself!"

This time, she turned her tormented violet eyes to stare sternly down at him. "I appreciate your concern, Shippō, but we're all going to die here if I don't do something right now."

"But..."

Sango could see the tears twinkling in his eyes and softened her tone, kneeling down and setting him away from her leg. She gripped his small shoulders tightly. "I need you to be strong for me, Shippō. I need you to be strong and watch over Miroku, because I'm the only one that can do anything about Kagura."

She could feel the tears she'd so diligently dismissed earlier returning to course down her own cheeks. "Can you do that for me, Shippō? Can you be strong for me?"

He let out an almost imperceptible sob, and nodded rapidly. "Y-yes. I'm strong."

"I know you are." She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. Sango set him back after a reassuring kiss to his forehead and stood up. "You're very brave, Shippō. I'm so proud of you." She tightened her grip on Hiraikotsu and gave him a nod. "Now go."

He dashed back through the tattered barn to Miroku and Sango turned her sights to the doors of the barn. Sliding up against them, she used the cover to survey the commotion going on outside.

There was an abundance of dust clouding the air, but she could still make out the form of Kirara. Paws aflame, she hovered opposite and above Kagura, who was standing upon the last erect support beam of the collapsed house across the way. The wind sorceress's expression was mildly annoyed, her fan open and held in front of her face, preparing to deliver another round of her trademark blades of wind.

It was clear that she had hit her mark more than once.

Kirara's creamy coat was marred by several bloody ruffs and her breathing was heavy. Sango felt such an insane rush of rage at the sight of her companion that she nearly charged out of the barn without thinking. It took a great amount of self-control to stay concealed from them both, but she managed it. There was only one way for her to have any chance at all with all her injuries, and it all depended on the surprise.

Gritting her teeth, Sango knew she must wait until Kagura attacked Kirara.

Her plan however, was altered when it was the neko-yōkai that lunged down at the awaiting wind demon. Kirara snarled and dove, executing a swift barrel roll to the right as Kagura's  _Fūjin no Mai_  was sent slashing in her direction. Kagura leapt down from the perch as Kirara's enormous paw swiped the top right off the beam in a sickening crack.

Sango watched Kagura land gracefully on the ground, her back to the barn, and knew that now was her chance. She slipped out between the doors and adjusted her grip on her weapon. Unable to use her left arm as a counter-balance, she exchanged her usual throwing maneuver for one using her body weight, whirling her entire body to propel the bone boomerang across the clearing with enough force to be deadly.

Kagura couldn't get away by the time she realized what was going on, Hiraikotsu battering her to the ground as her left arm was shattered. She hit the ground with an agonizing thud, moaning as she clutched her maimed limb.

The yōkai taijiya retrieved her weapon and allowed Kirara to slide beneath her and lift her into the air. The nekomata rumbled underneath her as she staved off a nearly incapacitating pulse of pain. Blinking back the darkness in her vision, Sango focused her attention on the woman slowly getting to her feet.

Kagura's haunted face was taunt with pain, but she seemed to be just as efficient at holding it at bay. Her arm hung limp and useless at her side, the other retrieving her fan and slapping it shut. Her kimono was tattered and coated in dust and her hair was disheveled.

It was a sight she had never seen before. Kagura looked haggard and ill; _t_ here were shadows beneath her persimmon eyes that were more pronounced now that she looked harder and the vividness of those brilliant eyes was dull. Her normally porcelain skin was much more pallid than she remembered.

"What a pair we make, hm?"

Sango noticed her eyes were resting on her own disabled left arm. "I do not consider myself remotely similar to you in any way."

"You always were the rude one." Kagura snorted. "Sure, Inuyasha knew how to be uncouth, but you, the taijiya..." She lifted her closed fan and pointed it at her. "You know how to insult in a subtle and underhanded manner." Kagura smiled slyly. "I like that in a woman, but sweetie, look at yourself. We are not so different."

"Then please, share your wisdom with me."

"I appreciate your cynicism. It's fitting for a taijiya of your misfortune." Kagura tapped her fan thoughtfully against her chin, sauntering slowly closer as her arm swung unnaturally. "Your ingrained prejudice will probably abhor this, but we are both victims of the same twisted maniac."

Sango nearly scoffed at her gall. "I thought you were bosom-buddies with Naraku."

"Ah, there it is. One of your perfectly veiled insults." Her red eyes hardened, along with her bemused tone. "Why don't you just come out and say what you want to say, taijiya?"

"You are just as evil as Naraku, killing with an abandon that puts the worst yōkai to shame. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were his wench and those two deranged boys of his were spawned from you." Sango felt liberated in a small, tiny way and was pleased to see that she had left the wind yōkai completely speechless.

Then, hesitantly, Kagura began to laugh. "You give me too much credit."

"I don't hear you denying it."

Her laughter ebbed to complete silence. "Naraku disgusts me. Nothing would bring me greater pleasure than to kill him myself."

Sango didn't believe her. "Then why haven't you?"

"He'd kill me before I had the chance, which is what I was trying to tell you if you weren't so self-absorbed to hear me."

"Oh, well, forgive me if I find it hard to be sympathetic."

"You're right." Kagura closed her eyes wearily. "I've never given you a reason to trust a word I say, but I'm tired of this."

Now Sango did scoff. "Tired? You're tired? What the hell do you have to be tired of? You enjoy madness and mayhem just like any other demon."

"Truly?" She shook her head. "You just assume that I'm just like every other yōkai you've encountered, but did it ever occur to you that I detest the things I am told to do?"

"Then, if that's true, what reason can you possibly give for continuing to do them?"

"I wish to keep my life."

Sango looked into her distressed eyes and didn't want to accept what she saw there. She didn't want to think of Kagura as a being with feelings of despair and destitution because those things would make her have to feel as well. It was too complicated to empathize with her and easier to just take her at face value. "I don't believe you."

"You are Naraku's victim because he holds hostage something most precious to you. This is where you and I are the same."

"Don't you dare use Kohaku as an excuse!" Sango's fingers gripped Kirara's fur so tightly, her knuckles ached. Snatches of the visions Rin planted in her head filtered through her mind's eye until she could hardly see straight. "What could he possibly have of yours that is so important?"

Kagura made to step forward, but her feet fumbled, sending her back into the dirt. Her body trembled as she slowly pushed herself up with her single, functional arm, groaning as she did so. "My heart, Sango. Naraku holds my heart."

Sango's heaving chest stilled at her words, unable to comprehend what the wind witch had just said. Her heart? Does she mean she's in love with him? Her eyes darted back to her pained face. Sango's violet eyes blinked with realization: Kagura meant a flesh and blood, beating heart.

Everything that had always seemed odd about her suddenly made sense, from her confessed distaste of murder to her participation in keeping secret the time of Inuyasha's human transformation. Her rebellion against Naraku had become apparent to all of them during the last few months before their final encounter with Naraku before his hibernation...to the point she was the one that had shown them the way.

She was a slave to Naraku's will and Sango felt her cheeks burn with shame. The things she had said had been vile, acid from her tongue, and she had thought Kagura had deserved each and every word. She tried to tell herself that the broken yōkai at Kirara's feet was just using this as a ruse, but the bleakness in her voice could not be dismissed. Sango knew now just how right she had been in her comparison.

They were two of kind, both manipulated by a monster holding what they held most dear. Naraku held her heart tight in his grasp and he held Kohaku's life by a slowly unraveling thread.

Sango slipped the Hiraikotsu's strap over her head so it hung off her back and slipped from Kirara's back to cautiously approach the fallen wind sorceress. She gently touched her trembling shoulder and Kagura jerked back with surprise, head whipping up to meet her eyes warily. The taijiya held up her hand. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I would've thought differently from your tone earlier." She stared at her derisively.

"I didn't know. I apologize for my behavior."

Kagura allowed herself to be assisted into a sitting position. "Don't apologize. How could you have known if I hadn't told you?" She laughed softly. "It's not like I didn't hide it well."

She watched Kagura’s refined face surrender to the pain in her body and Sango was struck by how fragile she appeared. It was as if there was no longer any strength in her body, despite how much was left in her spirit. She watched the ragged rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. "He's weakening you."

"He's killing her."

Sango froze, unable to move or speak lest her heart stop beating. Kagura, generous as she was, spoke for her. "A 'hello' would have been a kinder greeting, Kohaku."

"Kohaku..." Tears blurred her vision as she gazed at him, unsteadily getting to her feet and approaching him cautiously. He was the same as she remembered, just tall enough for his head to reach her shoulder with his pulled-back cap of black hair and with the same number of freckles spattering his cheeks; a boy on the brink of becoming a man.

She wanted to snatch him into her arms and hold him until she knew for sure that he was real and not a figment of her imagination. So long she had been without him that she had nearly forgotten that innocent face, haunted by crimes committed in the past and it hurt to remain where she was. The need to shelter him was powerful, but she was held back by the stern look on his bloodied face.

Sango's heart leapt into her throat. "Why are you bleeding? Are you hurt?"

"I would surmise that Inuyasha got his licks in?"

Sango's eyes darted to Kagura's face and back to Kohaku's. "Inuyasha did that to you?"

He nodded. "Do not be angry with him, Sister. He did what he must to return to Kagome and I would have expected no less." Kohaku gestured to his face. "It's only a bloody nose."

"But why were you fighting him in the first place?"

"It was my role in this to occupy Inuyasha while Kikyō and Akago went after Kagome, just as it was Kagura's to occupy you and the monk."

"Miroku. His name is Miroku." Sango spat at him distastefully, the familiar feeling of betrayal welling up inside her at his matter-of-fact tone. "I thought you would've known my husband's name with Naraku's amazing omnipotence."

The hard lines of his face tightened before they relaxed and he shook his head, light brown eyes softly closing. "I know you're going after Naraku because of what he's done to me and our family, but I want you to go home before it’s too late."

"Too late? Kohaku, what do you mean?"

He glanced over at Kagura, still sitting on the ground cradling her broken limb. "Will you be alright while I talk to her alone?"

The wind witch gave him a demure smile. "Yes. I'm going to party to my new found infirmary."

With a grim nod, Kohaku gestured for his sister to follow him. Sango watched all this warily, flicking her gaze to Kirara's when she fell into step behind Kohaku. The nekomata turned and trotted off toward the barn where the others were still hidden. She took a tight hold of Hiraikotsu's strap and tried valiantly to quiet the foreboding whispers floating through the back of her mind.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the sense that Kohaku was going to dismiss her would not relinquish the hold it had on her heart. She had put the pieces together rather quickly that he had unlocked all of his caged memories by the look of recognition and shame in his eyes the last time they had met. That being true, it also meant that he had realized his fall to Naraku's manipulation and Sango knew Kohaku well enough to know he would want to atone for his weakness.

She knew he would want to do away with Naraku himself and keep her safely tucked away with her own need for vengeance unsatisfied. Frustration made her stop following his measured steps, gripping her sling as she spoke. "This is far enough, Kohaku. I don't want the others to be out of sight."

Kohaku spun slowly on his heel, looking down at the rusty stain along the kusarigama's blade. He ran a finger contemplatively along the edge. "I didn't know he was your husband." His hand fell away from the weapon and he dropped them both to his sides, his face full of remorse when he looked up. "I would have made sure I was the one to deal with you."

"Deal with us?" Sango didn't hide her disappointment from her voice. "Kohaku, listen to yourself. You're not supposed to be  _dealing_  with us at all. You're supposed to let me protect you from Naraku."

He scowled at her, his jaw visibly clenching. "I have a right to seek Naraku's death, more so than you."

"I am not arguing whether you have a right or not, but I'm your older sister, Kohaku. I was supposed to keep an eye out on you, to keep you safe, but I failed and you died." Sango sucked in a deep breath to compose herself before she got hysterical. "I just don't want you to get hurt again when there's something I could do about it."

"I'm not going give up my intentions to kill Naraku just to pacify your guilt over my death."

She hung her head, relenting to the tears that hounded her. "I don't want you risking your life."

"You think this is a life?!"

Kohaku's shout struck her as sharply as a slap to the face. Her head whipped up in shock, violet eyes wide above the tears tracks obscuring the dirt smudged across her cheeks. "Kohaku..."

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, Sango. I can't survive without the jewel shard imbedded in my back and eventually Naraku will take that from me. I think I would rather risk death and regain my true life than to allow myself to just sit idly by when he kills me."

"Then let me help you!" Sango lurched forward and took hold of his arm. "Let me help you stay alive!"

He gripped her fingers with his own and sighed. "Look at me, Sango. Five years have passed since I saw you last and I can see the subtle differences age has given you. You look older, more like mother." He touched her cheek as she turned her face to him. "No such change has happened for me because I do not live. I merely exist."

Sango sobbed, dropping her head to his shoulder. "No. Stop." She jerked him into a one-armed embrace. "Stop trying to distance yourself from me."

She felt the breath hitch in his chest. "I'm sorry, Sister. I have to do what I must to keep you safe." He less than gently pulled away and caught her as her legs buckled out from beneath her. "I will rectify my mistake so that the ones I've killed were not slain in vain." He brushed his fingers along her hair. "Go be with your husband."

The taijiya watched as her brother strode back toward his ally, shoulders squared beneath a weight too great for him to bear alone and cried the last of her tears. She shakily got onto her knees and using Hiraikotsu regained her footing. Sango stood alone in the yard in front of the barn, watching as Kagura produced her feathered vessel to carry him away with her. Her red-rimmed, violet eyes followed him up into the sky and she fought to straighten herself up and square her own shoulders, dislocation included.

"Kohaku!"

She waited until he finally relinquished to the weight of her stare and turned to look back.

"I'm not giving up on you!"


	25. Chapter 25

_“It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.” – Winston Churchill_  

* * *

 

There was nothing to debate over and there were no pros or cons to be weighed; there was only one thing for her to choose and that was to act. The only other alternative was to stand back and watch as Akago slashed open Rin's throat.

Kagome dove those few meager feet to where Rin knelt with tears coursing down her cheeks, a thin ribbon of blood snaking its way along the smooth column of her throat from where the blade was pressing. She snatched the girl's wrist in her hands and attempted to pry the wakizashi from the possessed fingers that were clutching it, but the damage to her own wrist made her strength useless. Changing her tactics, she let go with her right hand and lifted her left foot, pressing it against Rin's sternum in an effort to gain more leverage.

She saw Rin wince when she started to push off that leg. "I'm sorry."

The girl squeezed her eyes shut. "It's...o-okay."

Pulling the sword from Rin's neck was profoundly easier now that she an advantage and unlocking her arm was relatively easy. She held on until it was nearly straightened and used her right fist to hit the delicate network of tendons nestled inside the girl's wrist. On her third try, the hand sprung open, Sango's wakizashi clattering to the floor.

Rin's arm instantly went limp and the tension in her spine faded to leave her in an elegant slump on the floor. Kagome quickly dropped her foot and knelt in front of her. "Rin, are you alright?"

The girl's caramel-colored eyes smiled as she caught her breath. "Thank you, Lady Kagome. I don't know how I'll ever be able to-"

Kagome frowned at Rin's painful grimace. "What is it?"

She blinked rapidly and snagged a handful of her kimono above her heart, her voice a ragged whisper. "I can feel it in my chest. It's moving."

"What do you mean?"

Panic began to creep its way into Rin's face. "It's alive. I can feel it moving inside me." She started to claw at her chest. "Ah! Get it out! Get it out!"

Kagome took her face between her hands and forced Rin to look at her. "Rin, relax. You need to calm down. I can stop it. I can get it out, but you have to relax. You have to trust me."

"Please..." Rin whimpered as shudders wracked her body. "Please, get it out."

"Do you trust me?"

Her chin quivered as she nodded slowly. "Y-yes."

Kagome released her face and slid her hands down her arms to grab Rin's frantic fingers. "Then do exactly as I tell you."

The priestess took a deep breath and closed her eyes, opening the well of power deep within her. She pushed all the unnecessary thoughts from her mind and focused solely on the girl trembling in front of her. Kagome used the connection of their hands to transfer her power into Rin and set about locating the tiny aura responsible for the possession.

She kept her eyes shut as she spoke. "I need you to lie down."

Rin stared at the still woman warily. "Al-alright."

Kagome waited until she was prone on the floor before letting go of one of Rin's hands. "You're doing great. Now, I have to put my right hand against your chest. I just need you to stay still."

"What do I do with my other hand?"

"Put it together with your other one to hold mine, okay?"

"Okay."

"You're going to be fine, Rin." She cracked open her left eye to meet her trepid gaze. "I promise."

Rin sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded in response, willing herself to relax.

Kagome turned her attention back to the task at hand. Her first obstacle turned out to be more formidable than she had originally thought, coming toe to toe with the massive strength of Rin's aura. It was like she was standing at the foot of brick wall so high the top disappeared into the clouds and extended from horizon to horizon when she glanced to her right and left. It was no small wonder that Akago had managed to penetrate it at all.

Every living entity had an aura. Most of the time it was nearly undetectable, but there were some that were naturally more developed and Rin had one of these. It was an untrained aura, raw and untamed in its size and power. She hadn't been far off the mark when she'd noted Rin's seemingly close relationship with nature. The young girl had an enormous spirit that with steady training could be manipulated and used to influence the environment around her. It was apparent that her defenses were more advanced than any other aspect of her aura, but only in an involuntary manner. Her subconscious was controlling her aura's actions, fueled by her fear and natural instinct of self-preservation.

That ignorance reminded Kagome of someone else she knew, namely herself.

Kagome squeezed Rin's hands. "I know you're scared of what's inside you, Rin, but you're blocking me from getting to it. I need you to really try and relax your mind. I'm not going to let him hurt you, so there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm going to kill Akago's aura and then I'm going to help you get to Sesshōmaru."

She heard the girl's soft sob. "That's where you were going, wasn't it? You were trying to find him."

Rin let out an anguished little groan, tears slipping from the corners of her shut eyes. "Yes."

"It doesn't matter to me if you still do, but you used to trust him with your life. Nothing could touch you when you were with him, right?"

"Mhm."

"Right. I need you to trust  _me_  like that, Rin." She pushed at the wall and it refused to yield. "I won't be able to help you if you don't."

The girl trembled as the aura inside her moved. "I can't remember what that was like...it was so long ago."

"I still need you to try."

"I don't know if I can."

"This isn't the time for self-doubt, Rin!" Kagome allowed her boiling frustration to get the better of her tongue. "I need you to be that little girl again and let me save your life!"

She held her breath and clenched her fingers in the satiny feel of Rin's kimono. "I'm not mad at you, Rin, but I can feel Akago moving closer to your heart. If you don't let me in, he'll kill you. I don't want that." Kagome rested her forehead on their conjoined hands. "I want you to be able to see Sesshōmaru again."

Rin bit back another whimpering sigh. "I want that too."

"You love him, don't you?"

Rin looked up at her and met her sympathetic brown eyes. "Yes, I do."

Kagome smiled. "I know the feeling."

That simple smile snapped the last string making her hesitate, making her doubt someone that had never before broken her word. Rin thought of the looks shared between Kagome and Sesshōmaru’s hanyō brother, Inuyasha. She knew Kagome understood and tightened her hold on the priestess's hand, managing a shaky smile of her own. "I hope I didn't offend you."

"No offense taken." Kagome grinned. "Now, let's kill ourselves a rat."

This time when she came up to the wall, there was an archway cut out of the impenetrable brick and she was able to move right on through. Kagome stilled on the other side and found that Akago had suddenly gone to ground. He was trying to stay alive by hiding, but if Akago's little bitty aura was a lost child, then she was the bloodhound following his scent. The aura's tail was similar to a lingering wisp of smoke and it was only a matter of following it to the source.

Kagome latched onto the string and followed it until she stumbled upon that sinister knot of energy tucked up tightly to Rin's heart. She approached it cautiously – one wrong move could literally stop Rin's heart – and had to stop from instinctually attacking the dark aura. She tried to reach out and grab it...

Akago lashed out at her like a cornered alley cat, hissing and spitting in a vain attempt to scare her off.

She pursed her lips in disapproval and ignored his threat. Her spiritual powers howled to be released on the evil it sensed, but Kagome waited until she knew she wouldn't miss. She literally snatched him in her power's grasp and opened the floodgates. The tiny aura screamed defiantly for a few seconds, fighting viciously to stay alive even as she began to suffocate it. The warm energy latched onto it like virus, eating away at Akago's aura until there was nothing left.

Kagome lingered only a few moments to make sure she'd gotten every last bit of him before slowly withdrawing her power back into herself. Sighing deeply, she removed her hand from Rin's chest. "Are you alright?"

Rin brushed a hand over the spot Kagome's hand had been in bewilderment. "You got it out."

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yes, but..." The girl slowly sat up, shaking her head as if changing her mind. "Thank you, Lady Kagome. You saved my life...again."

"Don't worry about it." She stood up, flexing her injured wrist and offered her good hand to help Rin up.

It took a moment for her soft brown eyes to focus on it, but Rin shook off her daze and simultaneously took Kagome's hand and picked up the discarded wakizashi. She stared at the blade and then turned her gaze to the lighted doorway. A single bead of sweat slid down the side of her face as her eyes suddenly widened.

Kagome gently touched her shoulder. "Rin?"

"They're coming for you." Her voice was muted and fast. "We have to leave now, before they trap us here."

"Wait, Rin-" She tried to stop her from running out the door, but the girl slipped away. Kagome darted after her and spun her away from the doorway before she passed through. "Rin, who's 'they'?"

The girl blinked blankly before focusing on the priestess's face. "Akago and Kikyō."

Kagome thought her heart might have skipped a beat. "What are you talking about?"

Rin explained as she poked her head out the door to scan the dusty street. "Kikyō came here with Kagura and Kohaku not long after Kōga disappeared. She came with a plan to capture you and bring you back to Naraku, using the others as a diversion for your friends."

She turned away from the street and bowed her head as if she were confessing a sin. "They knew you were wounded."

"What?"

"Kikyō sent Kagura to spy on you." Rin turned the sword over in her hands. "They knew you were vulnerable, especially if you somehow got separated from your group."

Kagome reached out and laid a hand on the nervous movement of the girl's hands. "How do you know all of this?"

Rin looked up at her. "When Akago wasn't making use of his control over me, I was left alone. I was in the room when he and Kikyō were talking."

"They didn't suspect anything?"

She snorted softly. "Akago didn't consider me as anything other than a means to an end." Rin turned to stare out the doorway forlornly. "I think Kikyō knew I was listening, but she didn't say anything to Akago."

The priestess stepped up beside her. "Did she say why she was helping him?"

"Kikyō said you were their biggest threat."

Kagome's head swam and the confusion stirred the beginnings of a massive headache. Their biggest threat, huh? That explained how Kikyō would even deign to work with Naraku.She pressed a closed fist to the pain radiating in her forehead. Inuyasha was going lose his mind when he found out.

"So what was her great plan?"

Rin took a deep breath and moved out onto the hut's dilapidated steps, looking up and down the deserted street. "Kikyō was going to lure Inuyasha away from you so that Akago could get to you through me. She was going to have Kohaku occupy Inuyasha once she'd managed to get him far enough away and Kagura was to attack the monk and slayer." She flicked solemn eyes to Kagome. "Kikyō was going to come back for you and take you the Western Lands of Inu no Taishō."

"Why there?"

Rin shrugged. "I don't know."

Would Naraku really be so bold as to shack up in Inuyasha’s father’s territory?

Kagome shook her head, mind shifted to her planned abduction. It was foolish to think she would be so easily captured, even if left on her own. She thought of how easily Inuyasha had fallen for Kikyo's little game and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Why did he have to be so predictable? Kagome frowned.

Why did he always have to go after Kikyo?

Kagome stared off into the distance and worked to ease the clenched muscles of her jaw. She clearly remembered the hanyō telling her that he wouldn't go chasing off after Kikyō anymore, but it seemed that was one promise he had no intention of keeping. The hurt stiffened her back until the muscles along her spine were squalling. It was painful and she told herself to stop, but even after mentally relaxing each muscle in turn, the strange tension remained – it was then that she realized the tension wasn't stemming from her churning emotions.

It was a shard of the _Shikon no Tama,_ and it was close – Kohaku was nearby.

"Lady Kagome?"

"Huh?" Kagome blinked and looked over at Rin. "What?"

Rin watched her curiously. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah." She glanced back in shard's direction and found Kohaku stagnant. Wherever he was, he was wasn't moving and was likely doing exactly as Rin had said: occupying Inuyasha.

"Good." Rin stepped out into the street. "I don't see anyone. I think we should try to make a run for the woods."

Kagome followed Rin's intended path and felt something raise the hairs on the back of her neck. A heavy presence pushed at her senses and the strength of the evil swirling within it stole her breath.

"No. It's too late for that."

"What are you talking about? We can make it if we run."

"No, we can't."

Even as she spoke the huts at west end of the street began imploding, sending splintered wood flying in all directions as that evil sent the earth shaking. Kagome was pretty sure her heart really did skip a beat as she watched Mōryōmaru rise from the rubble, a small lavender-haired boy perched on his shoulder like a pirate's parrot.

Rin gasped and began to backpedal. "Akago!"

Kagome didn't need confirmation to believe her. She dashed down the steps and grabbed Rin's hand, pulling the girl in Kohaku's direction. "C'mon! It's time to go!"

"It's..." The shock seemed to have robbed Rin of her wits. "It's Akago."

The girl's kimono made it nearly impossible for her to run. She flailed alongside Kagome, sputtering incoherently as the priestess sprinted in what she prayed was Inuyasha's direction. It was the only thing she could think to do. There was no training available for such a situation. There weren't any lessons to fall back on for guidance. She had to rely on her own instincts and quick thinking to get out of this one.

Kagome knew she couldn't possibly be any match against the giant with her bare hands, even with her powers to help her. If she engaged one of them, there was a good chance the other would get past her to Rin. She wasn't about to let that happen because although Rin wanted to fight, it was apparent that she wasn't exactly equipped for it.

She wasn't equipped for running either and when she fell, she took Kagome down with her.

The ground was hard on her knees, scraping her skin through both the tattered jeans and leggings. Kagome tried to break her fall with the hand she wasn't gripping Rin with, but the impact sent pain stabbing through her wrist and up the rest of her arm. The limb buckled and her chest was left to impact the ground at full force. The swift disappearance of her breath and the knock her chin took stunned her into a cloudy daze. She lay still for a moment, trying to discourage the sudden constriction of her chest.

A fierce cough erupted from her throat when she pushed up onto her knees and turned to check on Rin. The girl was sprawled out on her back just a few feet away and for all appearance sake, seemed to be unconscious.

Kagome blinked the tears from her watery eyes and realized that Rin was just lying prone, staring with wide eyes at something obviously terrifying. She moved her head slowly, just enough to see past her shoulder and froze when she saw Mōryōmaru hovering right above them.

Shit.

The tightness in her chest vanished as she sucked in a hissing breath and jerked her gaze back to Rin. The younger woman was trembling, but bravely facing her demons and it was up to Kagome to make sure she didn't fall victim to them again.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and when she turned to look, was blinded by a brilliant flash of light. Shielding her vision, Kagome focused on the item reflecting sunlight into her face. "Give that to me!"

Kagome lunged and tore the wakizashi Rin had lifted to defend herself from the girl's grip. She whipped around and stared into Akago's soft, lavender eyes as she stabbed the blade into the earth, channeling her power through the weapon. Bolts of energy arched off the ground, lashing out to sting Mōryōmaru’s outstretched hand as the barrier formed around them. A crooked grin played at the corners of her mouth as the beast bellowed painfully.

Rin jumped in response to the sharp crackling of the energy and pressed close to Kagome. "What did you do?"

"Put up a barrier. It'll purify them if they try to pass." Kagome watched Akago's face tighten with frustration, the sweet taste of winning even such a minor victory filling her as she nodded in the yōkai child's direction. "Puts a cramp in your style, doesn't it?"

The boy's lip lifted in a muted sneer. "That may be, but in your vain attempt to keep me out you have also succeeded in trapping yourselves. You have nowhere to go."

The reminder dashed the sweetness and left her feeling extremely bitter. "We don't  _need_  to go anywhere. All we have to do is wait."

"Wait?" Akago lightly touched Mōryōmaru’s shoulder and the enormous creature crouched low on the ground. "For who? Your precious Inuyasha?"

Kagome crossed her arms under her breasts defensively. "You're a fool if you believe Kohaku is capable of taking on Inuyasha long enough, especially when he's ticked off."

"Oh," he grinned knowingly, "I have the utmost confidence in Kohaku's abilities."

"Is that so?"

"You don't believe me? That's a shame."

Rin slowly crawled to her feet, using Kagome to steady herself. "What are you talking about?"

"You see, how long Kohaku detains him is practically irrelevant to me now that you've decided to hide behind a barrier. By the time the hanyō gets here, you'll already be on your way to Naraku."

Kagome felt sweat trickle down her spine. "You can't pass the barrier!"

"Yes," Akago smiled so his bright white teeth shone, "but she can."

Kagome's brow furrowed with confusion until something, or rather someone, pulled at her soul.

No...

She held her breath and pivoted on her heel, the bottom of her stomach dropping out as she caught sight of  _her._  The breeze fluttered the sleeves of Kikyō’s haori and the long silken strands of her hair. She stood still as a statue, her posture demure and inviting. The sharp cut of her eyes, however, coupled with the long bow held tight in her grasp contradicted that gentle body language.

A smug grin lifted the corner of Kikyō’s mouth. "Oh, don't tell me you're surprised, Kagome. I should think you would have seen this coming."

Kagome fought to loosen the locked muscles of her jaw as Rin took a tight hold of her mismatched haori. Just looking at the undead woman was enough to send her blood to the boiling point. It was on the heels of that thought that Kagome noticed the slight flush on Kikyō’s face, a soft ruddy complexion painting her neck and cheeks.

She offered Kikyō a matching grin. "He made you feel it, didn't he?"

The older woman's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "He did nothing."

"That's a lie and we both know it." Kagome reached out to grip the sword's hilt, strengthening the wall of the barrier. "You weren't able to railroad him this time," she flicked her gaze up and down Kikyō’s rigid frame, "and judging by the size of the stick up your ass, I'd say he blindsided you for a change."

"Your vulgarity is shocking."

Kagome shrugged. "Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, Kikyō, but pretty little insults just don't get the job done."

The priestess glided closer, reaching out a hand to brush the sparking barrier. Energy arched off its surface to connect with Kikyō’s translucent flesh. Kagome felt a ribbon of nervousness worm its way into her belly when Kikyō rubbed her fingers together, as if gauging the power of the shield.

"I don't recall you having this facet to your personality before."

Kagome raised a brow. "And what was I before?"

Kikyō gave her hand a gentle shake, a gesture that looked as if she was trying to rid herself of something foul that was ardent about clinging to her fingers. "Meek."

"Ah..."

She let the word and its implication settle on her for a moment, debating whether or not she should take offense and decided she didn't. "I would have to agree with you."

"Surprising."

"No, not really. I will readily admit to being a damsel in distress the majority of the time. I was unable to help myself, so that made it hard for me to help my friends." Kagome propped a hand on her hip. "It's a character flaw that I've dealt with and remedied."

"And yet you once again find yourself in another such situation."

"It wouldn't do well for you to underestimate me as you have in the past. I am no longer meek, regardless of the situation."

Kikyō didn't seem to hear her, turning her face away to stare off into the distance. It piqued Kagome's interest in a cautionary way; Kikyō would never normally ignore what was clearly an attempt at a quarrel. Her back stiffened when the priestess lifted a hand to her brow, her fingers trembling as they pressed against her temple. Kagome tried to convince herself that the behavior was normal, but there was a chill in her spine that told it was much more dangerous.

Kaede's elder sister suddenly bent at the waist, clutching her knees for support as tremors wracked her fragile body. A lingering groan escaped her throat.

"Kikyō?"

The woman straightened slowly, tipping her head to the side as looked up. The mad gleam in her bloodshot eyes had Kagome backpedaling and Rin gasping. The left eye twitched menacingly as she staggered closer.

"Enough..." Kikyō’s voice slipped from her throat in a chilling hiss. "Enough of this..."

"Kikyō?" Kagome felt her heart accelerate, adrenaline flooding her veins. "Kikyō, what are you talking about?"

Before she could respond, Kikyō cringed again, gripping her head tightly and groaning with an almost enraged intensity. Her chest heaved up and down as Kikyō continued to groan her way through whatever mysterious pain was plaguing her earthen body. A sudden, wretched cough accompanied the groan and it was quite a while before it subsided.

When she finally returned her gaze to their direction, stark red blood was oozing from her delicate nose.

"Kikyō..." Kagome knew immediately the something was seriously wrong. "You're bleeding."

Kikyō lifted her weaponless hand and touched the source of the wetness drooling down her face. Seeing her blood coating the tips of her ashen fingers, the knowledge that her body was dying managed to penetrate the wicked pain coursing through her head and she knew that now was the time for her to act. If she waited any longer, it would be too late to get the revenge she'd dreamed of these last few years.

She smiled and nodded to Kagome. "Yes, how very observant of you."

"That should be impossible. Your body's made of the earth." Kagome voice trembled ever so slightly from fear of the unknown, giving her words an unintended sincerity. "Dirt doesn't bleed."

"Then your experiences here obviously haven't taught you anything." Kikyō dove forward, dropping her long bow, and laid both of her open palms against the surface of Kagome's barrier. "You should know more than anyone that nothing is impossible!"

Kagome, much to her chagrin, cried out at the contact. She'd had an idea as to how this was going to go down, but she hadn't expected pain to be involved in a battle of wills. That strange pull she always felt in her belly when Kikyō tugged at her soul was nothing more than a twinge of her muscles. Now Kikyō was not only ripping at her soul, but also her power, and it felt as if the crazed woman was trying to carve her muscles out from beneath her flesh.

She tried to pull back, digging deep within herself to staunch the hemorrhage Kikyō’s sudden attack had caused. Arcs of electrified energy crackled around them as the barrier shuddered, blowing their hair back from their matching faces of struggle. Kagome couldn't help suddenly doubting herself; she wasn't as proficient in the use of her powers as Kikyō. She'd learned to tap into them at will with the help of a carnival psychic.

Kikyō had had years of proper, supervised training with other priestesses and she was proven in battle.

The pain was swiftly moving to the unbearable stage, and it was as if in accepting it, that Kagome was able to recall a lesson from the early stages of her ju-jitsu training. Her teacher had told her many times that vocalizing one's pain often helped manage it and allowed the mind to focus. As her knees began to wobble, Kagome began to do just that: vocalizing her pain in an agitated groan.

That groan grew into something else entirely when she locked her umber gaze with Kikyō’s. All of the pain, frustration, fear, jealousy, hatred, remorse, and pity she felt for woman were given a new life through her voice. It was similar to the angry growl of a cornered dog and very reminiscent of Inuyasha – reminiscent enough to catch Kikyō off-guard.

The older priestess's concentration shattered and she was blown back by Kagome's onslaught of power, and with nothing to fight against, Kagome's energy exploded outward without restraint. Both women were thrown violently to the ground from the shockwave let loose by the torrent of uncontrolled power. Kagome allowed herself to absorb the impact, her body loose and fluid and was able to recover faster than Kikyō despite the fact her reservoir of power was nearly spent.

Kagome lay on her back and rolled her head to the left to see what had become of Rin. Sango's wakizashi had been blown clear of the earth and was once again held tightly in the girl's hands. Slowly sliding her hands through the dirt, Kagome brought her arms up on either side of her chest to push herself into a sitting position. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, but the barrier's gone." Rin's tormented eyes barely flicked in her direction long enough to make true eye contact, training them instead on Akago's humanoid monster lest he decide to move – she just might have to skewer it with her toothpick-sized sword.

Kagome's chest continued to heave up and down, but she left her mental frustration behind when she saw Kikyō stagger to her feet. It was in that moment that Kagome realized Kikyō really wasn't that much taller, she just appeared to be that way because of the way she presented herself. The younger priestess mimicked Kikyō’s move and got to her feet, watching warily as Kikyō tied back her hair.

Her mouth dropped open when she saw the blood that was running from Kikyō’s ears. She watched as Kikyō none too delicately spat more blood out of her mouth.

"You're dying."

Kikyō sent her a baleful look. "Don't tell me you feel bad. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"No, of course not. I never wanted you dead." Kagome pushed the hurt away, but she knew that Kikyō could feel it through the tether of their shared soul. "What I wanted was for you to acknowledge me as something more than a threat. I never wished you any harm. I've always looked up to you, admired you...hell, I even envied you. I wanted to  _be_  you."

Kikyō looked stricken. "Why...why would you want that?"

"You're strong and beautiful and an elegant fighter. You're an amazing healer and a fearless priestess who believes in right and wrong, no matter what the circumstances are. You believe in fulfilling your duty down to the marrow in your bones. You're compassionate and merciful, always seeing the good in even the wickedest souls. You're also swift to punish those that do wrong and you'd give your life to protect a total stranger."

Kagome smiled somewhat sheepishly, a soft blush staining her cheeks. "You're someone I've always seen as worthy of Inuyasha's love and I'd..." She exhaled sharply. "I'd give anything to be just a fraction of what you are."

Kikyō’s deep brown eyes stared at her in astonishment and awe, blinking with genuine surprise. She could feel the truth in the girl's words through their connected soul and it shook her to her very core. A sharp, needle-like pain jabbed at her head and the weakness gripping her body buckled her knees.

Kagome rushed to the fallen priestess's side, wrapping her arms about her shoulders and helping her sit upright. When Kikyō finally mustered up the strength to lift up her head, she gazed over her shoulder at the young woman gripping her tightly. There were tears in her eyes – eyes that were filled with anguish and despair.

"I..." She tried to speak, but even the strength used to do that was taxing her body to its limits. Kikyō decided, instead, to channel what she wanted to say through the soul that they shared.

_"I never intended to become what I am now. The state in which I exist is swiftly deteriorating and it is taking a toll on my mind. I find myself torn between aiding you and condemning you. I sought out Naraku because I knew that my power alone wasn't enough to combat you and now that I've come face to face with my desires...I cannot do it. Inuyasha created the fracture in my heart and you succeeded in cracking it open, but Naraku has a hold on me now...one I'm not strong enough to fight."_

Kikyo shivered. " _I sealed my fate by offering my hate-laden blood to a corrupted_ _Shikon no Tama. I'm fated to fall under Naraku's command and because my body is failing, I cannot fight the bond."_

Kagome grew more and more frantic with every word Kikyō whispered into her mind. She had no idea what to do, but she knew she had to do  _something_. Where Kikyō lacked the strength to fight, Kagome was strong and she wasn't about to stand idly by and watch as Naraku killed her mentor. She tightened her grip on Kikyō’s shoulders reassuringly. "I won't let him kill you, Kikyō."

A whisper of a smile graced Kikyō’s lips. " _I am going to die anyway."_

"Then I'll figure out how to break the bond!" She gave Kikyō a shake. "There has to be a way to do it."

Kikyō looked as if she were about to respond, but a violent gush of wind slapped their faces as a shriek rent through the streets. Kagome turned to see Mōryōmaru clutching Rin, kicking and screaming after being caught trying to bolt into the nearby trees. Akago was no longer occupying his customary perch on Mōryōmaru’s shoulder and a quick glance around found him stalking toward them like prey – that is, if you considered a grade school yōkai capable of stalking.

He slowed to a stop close enough to be threatening, but distant enough to remain out of reach. The expression on his small face was one of bemusement. "This is all rather touching, but as Kikyō can attest, we are falling behind schedule." He pulled the small katana from the scabbard at his hip. "And we all know Father detests tardiness."

Kagome leapt to her feet and stepped in front of Kikyō’s crumpled form. "Leave her out of this."

He snorted. "I didn't come for Kikyō. I came for you, and it is  _you_  I will be delivering into Naraku's lap."

She thoroughly ignored just how much  _that_  particular image creeped her out and took a fighting stance, legs spread wide and crouched at the knee. "If you want me, come and get me."

He grinned menacingly. "With pleasure."

Akago flew at her with freakish speed, slashing viciously at her abdomen. Kagome only had a scant few nanoseconds to keep her innards safely in, leaping backward and stumbling as she swerved away from Kikyō. She barely kept her footing as Akago continued his blitz attack, dodging the razor-sharp edge of his katana by the mere thickness of her red and white haori. The proximity he breached flared her temper and she threw up her hands, buffering his next slash with a shield of her remaining power. Akago landed softly, sword lowered as she glanced down at her ruined clothes.

The boy-yōkai stood back amused as she ripped the bottom of the ragged haori away to bare her taut midriff, including the ties on the back to expose the soft hollow of her spine. She was left with just a scrap of cloth covering her chest – any movement on her part revealed the black sports bra she'd worn since returning – and the long heavy, mismatched sleeves of her homemade haori. Kagome lifted her hardened mahogany gaze to glare at him more out of annoyance than defiance.

Kagome used her right bicep to wipe away the sweat on her brow. "Have I ever mentioned how much I detest you and your relations?"

"Without fail." He lifted his katana in her direction. "Now be a good girl before I have to beat you into submission."

Undaunted, she readied for him again. "Take your best shot."

He moved slowly this time, circling her until she had no idea from which direction he'd come. When he finally did, it was quicker than before and Kagome found herself on the perpetual defensive. The blade slashed from every possible direction and using her power as a shield as she dodged was quickly draining her energy.

Akago dove again and this time her response was too slow. The tip of the blade pierced the front of the same shoulder the bandit had stabbed from behind. Kagome jerked away fast enough to keep the wound shallow, but she bled down her arm anyway. Grimacing, she watched Akago crouch for another pounce.

_"Kagome,"_

She froze at the soft voice in her head and waited.

_"Open your senses and stay where you are."_

Kagome didn't bother to argue or question Kikyō’s cryptic message and just did as instructed. Her eyes slipped shut as her mind opened to search the area around her. Her heart leapt into her throat at what she found, a giddy smile spreading across her face as locks of her hair swirled about her head after falling loose from their braid.

The smile had Akago skidding to a halt in the middle of his offensive. He glared at her warily. "What are you smiling about?"

She didn't bother to open her eyes, reveling in the sensations the aura was kindling inside her. "Just wait."

"Wait for what?" He looked around, eyes hesitating on Mōryōmaru before moving on. "What the hell am I supposed to be wai-"

" _Kaze no Kizu_!"

The air around them grew oppressive as the heat from Inuyasha's attack blazed closer. It carved three angry gouges in the earth as it streaked straight for Akago, whipping Kagome's hair across her face as it scorched past. It was perfectly placed, splitting both Kagome and Kikyō from the deranged child and taking a bead on Mōryōmaru’s enormous bulk. The beast managed to avoid a direct hit by taking to the air once more with only a leg catching any damage, Rin staying surprisingly mute in its grip.

Kagome ignored Akago and his pet, whirling around and searching desperately for Inuyasha. She almost called out for him due to the dust now clouding the street, but the brilliant red of his fire-rat haori emerged from the cloud and then she was running toward him.

She ran as fast as her legs could possibly carry her, pain be damned, and realized that she was smiling like a lunatic. She didn't let up her pace, didn't slow in the slightest, but he caught her when she launched herself at him anyway. Kagome locked her arms around his neck like he was the buoy keeping her from drowning and pressed her face into the silver fall of his hair. "Inuyasha, I thought I'd never see you again."

* * *

 

His arms crushed her to him as he inhaled the scent of her hair, relief finally removing the constriction around his heart. Kohaku had let his deepest, darkest fear loose to fester inside him to the point he was nearly driven insane; he'd imagined all manner of horrific sights would greet him when he finally found her. He gave a silent 'thank you' to whatever higher power had delivered her battered, but in one glorious piece.

Inuyasha didn't want to entertain the thought of what he'd become if it had been even the slightest bit worse.

"Kagome," he murmured softly, reaching his hands up to cradle her face and bring it into his line of sight. "Kagome, are you alright?"

She gazed at him as if he was the air she breathed. "Of course I'm alright. You're here."

The corner of his mouth quirked and he couldn't help himself. He dragged her lips to meet his and kissed her hard, making sure she felt just how scared and helpless he'd felt. She responded with full fervor, sliding her arms under his to snag his shoulders. It was a desperate kiss, filled with passionate reverence and love and fueled by the promise that they'd make it through whatever came their way together.

Inuyasha finally relented enough to let her breathe, pressing his mouth instead to her forehead and forcing his inu-yōkai to chill out. Volatile situations always made the survival instinct of his dog stronger and it took nearly all his self-control to relax his body before he embarrassed Kagome.

Who was he kidding? He wanted to stop before he embarrassed  _himself._

His ears flickered at the sound of Kagome's soft hum and then drooped as his inner dog went completely calm. He pulled his head back after a second soft kiss to her forehead and ran his Tessaiga-less hand through her hair. "Kagome, I saw you get stabbed. Are you sure you're alright?"

Her dreamy expression wasn't phased in the slightest by his anxious whisper, but she did manage to open those voluminous eyes of hers. "Yes. It honestly doesn't hurt all that much."

He reached over to just gently squeeze her shoulder, smirking at her grimace. "Liar."

Kagome slid her hands down to settle on his waist, smiling coyly. "Okay, you got me." She glanced at her wound contemplatively. "I think, since coming back anyway, that my pain tolerance has gone up. I can handle this no problem." Her eyes landed his cut cheek. "What about you?"

"Like I'd ever tell you."

She scowled. "Stop stereotyping. It's okay for the big, macho hanyō to say his boo-boo hurts."

Inuyasha snorted. "My 'boo-boo'? Yeah, sure."

"It's not funny."

"Yeah, it is."

Her voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "Inuyasha..."

"Are you two anywhere near finished yet?"

The couple turned to see Akago glowered at them from across small valley Inuyasha's _Kaze no Kizu_ had carved into the earth. Inuyasha shifted Kagome out from in front of him and addressed the child.

"Whatever you had planned here is over. Kagome isn't going anywhere."

The boy seemed to mull this over, a small hand holding his equally small chin. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. These things need to happen and what you want just isn't possible." He flashed them an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Inuyasha slid his eyes away from Akago and assessed the situation. Not only was there Naraku's incarnation to deal with, but also the enormous beast Mōryōmaru that Hakudōshi had given life to. He still didn't trust Kikyō, regardless of the fact that she was hovering on the edge of unconsciousness, and on top off it all, Rin was an innocent bystander caught in the middle.

It was a hostage situation and he'd never been a very good negotiator.

He glared at Akago and issued his challenge. "You seem to be good against unarmed women, but how about you try taking on me?"

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha curiously, whispering out of the corner of her mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Taking control of the situation." He none-too-gently pushed her away from him. "I have to go to work now, so stay put."

She fell backwards, wind-milling her arms to keep her footing and shouted at him as he dove for Akago. "Damn you, Inuyasha!" The clanging of metal on metal rang through the dusty air and she clenched her fists. "This isn't exactly taking control!"

Inuyasha tuned out her ranting voice and focused all of his attention on Akago. It seemed that the brat had been merely toying with Kagome and was more of a threat than he'd originally thought. It felt ridiculous that this lavender-haired yōkai kid and his little pig-sticker were actually giving him a run for his money, but he knew now to never underestimate an adversary by their outward appearance.

It was what his enemies did to  _him_  more often than he could keep track of.

He met Akago's offensive blade-to-blade and the squirt pushed off him to regroup. Inuyasha was surprised to find he was panting. He grinned as he whirled Tessaiga in his hand. "Not bad."

The child grinned. "If you liked that, then I'm sure this will be enjoyable."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and watched as he lifted his empty hand to snap his fingers. It took a moment for him to realize what was happening, but Kagome's shout had him whirling around. His blood ran cold as he saw Mōryōmaru advance on her, using his once paw-like hand-turned-razor-sharp-dagger-of-flesh to try to impale Kagome. His strikes missed her by inches as she ran in a zigzag pattern up the street until one strike pulled down part of a nearby hut and knocked Kagome off her feet.

He watched her fall and was moving before she hit the ground. He didn't get far; an arrow through the meaty flesh of his left calf had him falling to one knee much farther from Kagome than he'd intended. He turned to glare at Kikyō, but the priestess gazed at him painfully and shook her head. His narrowed amber eyes dropped to her hands and found them empty.

"I'm sorry to rain on your parade, Inuyasha, but Kikyō seems to be useless at the moment." Akago's quiet laughter rang in his ears as he watched Kagome roll onto her back and raise her arms to somehow create a buffer between Mōryōmaru’s dagger and her body. "And if you were paying attention at all, you would have noticed the lack of purifying energy."

Kagome was fighting to stay alive and this prick had the balls to be making jokes?

A low, threatening growl erupted from his throat, silencing the soft chuckles behind him. Inuyasha reached deep inside and asked his inu-yōkai for assistance. The pacing creature licked its chops with pleasure, flooding his veins with power and fine-tuning his senses. He felt his fangs lengthen in his jaw, his claws galvanize at the ends of his fingers and his eyes flash red. Tessaiga reverberated in his grip and a golden amber glow shone from the blade as he rose to his feet, impervious to the hindrance in his leg.

He snarled as he advanced on the demon child. "Call. Him. Off."

Akago dropped Kikyō’s long bow. "No. That's not how this game is played, Inuyasha. I'm the only one that gets to make demands here."

Inuyasha lashed out to snatch his neck in his grasp. "Now."

"I don't think so." Akago raised his katana and plunged it deep into Inuyasha's side.

* * *

 

Kagome turned her attention away from her impending death and watched with horror as Inuyasha staggered back from Akago, the child's katana lodged deep within his abdomen. She could see the crimson staining his eyes and knew he wasn't able to feel the wound; that was one of the disadvantages of using the power of his dog demon: it nullified his pain receptors.

He glanced down at the offending sword and took hold off it, jerking it free of his body with a sickening spray of blood.

"No!" Kagome kicked her feet with frustration, moving herself through the dirt in attempt to get away from Mōryōmaru. "Inuyasha, are you insane?!"

The hanyō ignored her shouts, throwing the katana across the street and into the rubble of a collapsed hut. He turned away from Akago and set his sights on Mōryōmaru. Lifting Tessaiga, he swung it downward with all his strength.

" _Kaze no Kizu!"_

The attack succeeded in pulling Mōryōmaru away from her and she scrambled to her feet. The violent energy met with the wooden corpses along the side of the road and exploded the remains into fine splinters. Kagome crouched and covered her head, fine particles of wood raining down on all in the vicinity. When it seemed to finally stop, she lifted her head to see what had become of Mōryōmaru.

The beast remained unscathed, as did Rin, for which she was grateful. The girl had ceased her struggles and had gone quietly still and Kagome could only hope that she hadn't given up the fight for good. Confident that Rin would remain safe despite being in Mōryōmaru’s clutches, she turned her attention back to Inuyasha.

His shoulders were hunched as he held his stomach, blood making a dangerously large puddle at his feet. Kagome felt tears clog her eyes at the sight of him. "Inuyasha!"

He glanced at her, the silver of his hair shimmering in the morning sunlight. His answering snarl nearly broke her heart. "Stay where you are, Kagome."

"No!"

"Stay back, Kagome!"

She set her jaw and staunched her tears, determined to reach him. The sharp twang of a bowstring, however, made her hesitate just long enough to keep herself from injury. One of Kikyō’s arrows drove hard into the dirt at her feet, bringing her to a halt. She knew exactly whose eyes to meet when she looked up from the wooden shaft.

Akago lowered the bow only slightly. "You should listen to him. He knows what he's talking about."

She raised her chin indignantly. "No, he doesn't. Inuyasha's never had a single rational thought when he taps into his demon blood."

"I know what I'm doing."

Kagome cut her eyes to meet Inuyasha's. "Do you? You're willing to bleed to death just so you can continue to fight  _him_? Akago's not worth it."

His red eyes held her gaze and when the growl retreated, his voice was normal. "I know he's not worth it, but  _you are._ " He lifted the glowing Tessaiga so she would acknowledge it. " _I_  am in control, not my yōkai. This is  _my_  choice, not my yōkai's blood lust. I refuse to allow Naraku to get his hands on you while there is still a breath in my body and blood in my veins."

Kagome couldn't bring herself to argue with him because she knew in her heart that she'd known all along. She knew that Inuyasha would give up his life for her if he thought there was no other way to save her. It was obvious that was the conclusion he'd come to considering he was bleeding out and pushing her away. He'd made a decision and was more than ready to follow it to the end.

It angered her more than she could explain in words. They were in this battle together and for him to go a make choice concerning both their welfares without even consulting her was infuriating. Instead of screaming at him in frustration, she flexed her fingers to test the amount of power left in her body. Satisfied that she had enough, she took a deep breath and leveled a weighted stare in Akago's direction.

"Well, if that's what he wants, do I at least get to say goodbye?"

The question seemed to bring Inuyasha to attention and Akago lifted a brow curiously. The boy searched her brown eyes and grinned wickedly at what he found in her there. "Absolutely."

A small weight lifted from her shoulders and she turned her eyes to Inuyasha. The hanyō was fighting fatigue, but he still managed to be alert and ready for attack. She smiled softly as she strode toward him. His red eyes watched her cautiously as she stopped before him. "Kagome..."

"Please, just let me have this and you won't hear another word of protest past my lips."

He stared into her eyes and Kagome made sure to keep her true intentions hidden. After a tense moment, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

She reached out tentatively to brush his cut cheek with her thumb. "I love you, Inuyasha." She blinked back tears and braced herself for what she about to do and the consequences it would bring. "I just want you to know that."

Kagome stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him before he had a chance to balk, savoring the taste of him for only a moment before slamming him with what was left of her power. She felt his eyes snap open as he tried to pull away, but she gripped his upper arms tightly to hold him still. He body began to quiver as the pain from his wounds hit him full-force. Kagome pushed that knowledge away and continued to kiss him until all whispers of his inu-yōkai had been chased back deep within him.

A wave of dizziness hit her and she finally relented, pulling away from his ashen face. His body trembled as the agony of the stab wound swept through him. Still holding his arms, she helped down to his knees and quickly stepped away to hide her own pain.

"My, my, my..." Akago sauntered up beside her to nod impressively. "Only a woman could be so thoroughly wicked."

Kagome whirled on him. "Shut the hell up! This is what you wanted, wasn't it?!" She threw her hands out exasperatedly. "I'm coming with you of my own free will!"

"Only because you want his life to be spared."

Her burning eyes couldn't help returning to Inuyasha's heartbroken expression. "Inuyasha..."

He opened his mouth to speak, but a gurgling cough came out instead. He fought it down and looked up at her with confusion. "K...Kagome...wh...why?"

She hung her head, shame making her unable to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't watch you die for me." She watched his empty hand clutch his wound. "Not while there was a breath in  _my_  body."

Akago rolled his wrist, gesturing for her to hurry up. "Finish this."

She fought back a sob. "Please, Inuyasha. Just live. That's all I ask of you."

"Kagome..." He reached out for her.

She jerked back and pinched her eyes shut. "Just live."

"Wait...Kagome..."

She spun away from his fractured whisper and strode purposefully toward Mōryōmaru, crawling into his offered palm where Kikyō was already sitting. The beast took to the air and Kagome couldn't help looking down at her hanyō, an aching whisper on her lips.

"Please, forgive me."


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: body horror and gore

_“And now…farewell to kindness, humanity, and gratitude. I have substituted myself for Providence in rewarding the Good; may the God of vengeance now yield me His place to punish the wicked.” – Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo_

* * *

Something nudged his foot. Inuyasha inhaled deeply through his nose, but couldn't catch the scent of his visitor past that of his own metallic blood. The gentle rubs were slowly growing more insistent and he pulled his tattered focus together to try and figure out just what was nagging him.

It touched him again, velvety softness brushing against his toes and he twitched when warm air wafted across his skin. He felt it move closer and the dirt around him crunched under a significant amount of weight. Despite his vulnerability, Inuyasha didn't fear whatever was clearly inspecting him – there was a cautious vibe in its movements and he knew it was more afraid of him than it was curious. He kept his eyes shut against the bright sun and when the creature moved again, kicking a bit of dirt onto his haori, the sun was blocked by its bulk.

With the sunlight out of his eyes, he risked cracking them open and discovered his annoying friend to be Shunsoku.

He lifted his hand out toward the horse's nose. "Shunsoku."

The dapple-gray panicked at the movement and spun away. Spooked more than anything, he came to a halt a few yards away and watched the prone hanyō with perked ears. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and rested his head back on the ground. Only a couple moments passed before the horse started back toward him, hooves shuffling the dirt as he walked. The steel gray muzzle popped up in Inuyasha's peripheral vision as Shunsoku sniffed his hair.

Lifting his refined head, the warhorse snorted away the last of his nervousness and Inuyasha reached up to wipe his face. "Thanks. I appreciate the snot."

Shunsoku took a few steps back and wriggled the strong muscles of his upper lip as if to say, _"You're welcome."_

Inuyasha tried to sit up, but white-hot pain exploded in his belly. "Shit.”

He reached down tentatively to palpate the wound and found it to be extremely tender, the blood finally clotted, likely sometime after he’d lost consciousness.

He was pretty sure that he had been delirious when Kagome had departed with Akago, leaving him near death. The last memory he had before he succumbed to the darkness was her forlorn face looking down on him from Mōryōmaru’s palm. Whether it was the blood-loss or his inu-yōkai survival instincts, Inuyasha had passed out almost immediately after Kagome used her powers against him. Only by sheer, iron will had he kept lucid enough to speak, let alone remain conscious for those last few seconds.

Inuyasha blinked up at the mid-day sun and scowled at the implication, knowing they had arrived in the village after dawn and he’d been out for a significant amount of time.

"Four fucking hours." He rolled his head to address Shunsoku. "They have a fucking four hour head start."

The horse merely blinked and cocked his hip to rest a hind leg, his tail swishing with boredom.

"Yes," Inuyasha continued speaking as if Shunsoku had actually answered him, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "you're absolutely right. We have to get moving now if we're ever going to get to the Western Lands in time to save her."

_“Just live.”_

Inuyasha wouldn't let himself think about what exactly Kagome had done to him. It wouldn't do him any good to dwell on something like that when he was so close to dying – it kinda killed the morale to keep fighting when the woman supposed to have his back stabbed him in it.

"Huh," he gave a soft laugh. "You’d think I’d be used to this by now.”

The more he dwelled, the more his frustration grew.

"Fuck!" He glared at Shunsoku, who just happened to be perfect reminder of Kagome's more annoying qualities. "Why does it always have to be what  _Kagome_  wants? Hmm? Why the hell can't it be what  _I_  fucking want?!" He slammed at fist into the dirt. "Shit, why didn't she just cut off my balls and stomp on them?"

It sure as hell felt like she had. He released the tension in his body and sagged back into the dirt. He didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just let him protect her.

Just live, his ass.

"Doesn't she know I'd do anything,  _anything_  to keep her safe?" Inuyasha gazed at the horse imploringly. "Doesn't she understand that I don't just  _want_  to protect her, but that I  _need_  to? It's not something I can consciously  _stop_  myself from doing?" He shook his head. "Of course she understands. That's why she couldn't look me in the eye. Instead of helping me fight those assholes, she used the last of her power to cut me off at the knees."

The horse nipped at a fly on his chest.

"Why, you ask?" Inuyasha glanced at him. "Oh, because she's a selfish bitch. That's why."

Shunsoku chose that moment to turn his head to look out behind his left flank at something in the woods, revealing the matted bloody hair around a shallow gaping wound; the arrow that had inflicted it was surprising absent. Obviously Kikyō hadn't put as much behind the shot as he'd thought.

"You took a hit for her too. You should know exactly what I'm talking about. Just live..." He snorted. "She would rather have me live in shame than die fighting. Does she really think she could love me if I was content to live with my honored shredded like that? She'd hate me if I didn't try to regain it, which is why she's dreading when I come to get her. Then she'll have to deal with the reality of what she did to me."

Shunsoku turned back to the sound of his voice and stamped away impatiently at a fly on his foreleg.

"Yeah, I know. She loves me." He flexed his sword hand and found he was still holding Tessaiga. That was good because he really didn't feel up to crawling around to find it. "I guess somebody forgot to mention that when it comes to my life, what she  _wants_  is  _irrelevant._ It's what she  _needs_  that matters to me, and now she's in the fucking lion's den with nobody but Rin to help her."

Shaking his head, Inuyasha willed away the pain that ignited in his belly and slid the rusted fang into the sheath hung at his waist. The effort to achieve that small feat left him shuddering with cold sweat and panting like he'd just run a five leagues.

How the hell was he going to drag himself into that damn saddle?

He coughed when he glanced back at Shunsoku. "That little shit really fucked me up."

The horse snorted.

"Ha ha, very funny." Inuyasha scowled at him. "Now get over here."

Shunsoku just looked at him.

"C'mon," he made a soft clucking sound and gestured the horse closer. "Shunsoku, come here."

A lone gray ear flicked in the hanyō’s direction before the horse begrudgingly sauntered closer. He stopped when his front hooves nudged Inuyasha's ribcage and dropped his delicate muzzle to snuffle the hanyō’s haori. Then, very tentatively, Shunsoku took the high-tensile fabric between his teeth and gave a gentle tug.

"Yes, that's the general idea." Inuyasha glanced at the left stirrup, which dangled nearly three feet off the ground and knew that even just grasping it would be downright agonizing. Taking as deep a breath as his stab wound would allow without pain, he reached out and laid his hand on the horse's left knee. "See, I'm not hurting you. There's nothing you need to run away from, alright?"

Although he'd stiffened and his entire body coiled like a spring to flee if threatened, Shunsoku remained rooted to the ground. The mild tone of Inuyasha's voice assuaged his fear and he relaxed into the contact quickly.

Inuyasha took it as a good sign and continued to murmur quietly as he dragged himself parallel to the horse. Crisis averted, Shunsoku remained entirely blasé about all the scratching and scraping the hanyō did in the dirt. Inuyasha dropped his head to the ground when he was positioned beneath the stirrup, sweat soaking through his haori and running from his forehead in torrents. Every muscle in his body quivered painfully and with every breath he took, a paralyzing shock swept through his chest. It was almost enough to discourage him from going through with his plan, but once his mind was made up, debating was over.

He clenched the muscles of his jaw to help him focus through the pain, to focus on the stirrup dangling above him like salvation. Moving before his body had a chance to convince him to stay prone, he lunged up and snatched the stirrup. A groaning growl exploded from his throat as he continued to push his way past the agony and began to use the stirrup leather as a rope to climb into the saddle.

Shunsoku sidestepped at the sound and braced himself, leaning to the right against the weight pulling at his body.

It was extremely slow going. Inuyasha had to stop every time he dragged himself closer to his goal in order to let the pain wash over him like a tidal wave. The effort succeeded in breaking open the cut on his palm from when he'd fought Kohaku and he hated that he was getting blood all over Kagome's saddle. He tried to keep it from smearing on her quiver, but only managed to keep her rosewood bow free of the viscous liquid.

Snatches of black flashed in his vision when he was finally able to grasp the saddle's pommel and he knew he only had a few more minutes before he lost consciousness again. With one last pull, Inuyasha threw his right arm over Shunsoku’s back to grip the opposite stirrup leather. He strained to toss his right leg up over the saddle and was close to vomiting from shock when he finally managed it.

The dapple-gray shifted under his new cargo and snorted as he adjusted to the weight. Without any direction from his passenger, he swung around and began to walk into the woods surrounding the village.

Inuyasha didn't pay any attention. He was too busy keeping from falling back to the ground and losing consciousness. Lying on Shunsoku’s neck, he rested his face against the horse's silken mane and let his eyes fall shut only when he was positive he wasn't going to fall. He knew that Shunsoku would instinctually seek out water, whether it was a natural source or man-made. It made things easier for him, so he just went along for the ride.

It would give him plenty of time to figure out how to rescue Kagome from her own stupidity.

* * *

 

The woodlands overlooking Inu no Taishō's fortress were dense, vines and moss netting together to block out the sun in between the canopies of the trees. The forest floor was thick with grass, growing right up to the base of the massive tree trunks surrounding it. Birds of all sorts called to each other through the branches, while insects crawled, swarmed, and buzzed around every possible surface. Larger creatures, predator and prey alike, moved silently through the brush and kept their survival as the utmost priority in their minds.

As the hours passed and sky grew dark, inhabitants of the day retreated to their nighttime sanctuaries as the dwellers of darkness came alive. Specially equipped to exploit what was usually the disadvantages of night, these creatures rushed forth to take claim what had been taken from them by the sun. All the sounds and movement of the day-hunters were given a new, sinister twist by the predators of the night, striking fear into all that bore witness to them. Using that fear, they took control of anywhere and anything.

There was one place, however, that even the nocturnal beasts avoided. Something much more deadly resided there and although it hadn't moved for days, its presence alone was enough to chase away even the most determined killers. It stayed so still that any lesser creature may not have even noticed it sitting beneath the enormous tree on the grassy plateau.

And on this night, it finally moved.

Blanketed by darkness, something caused it to lift its head and open a pair of glowing amber eyes. Those eyes cut through the night like a knife, locking onto the being that had been audacious enough to disturb it. The sharp intake of its breath shot a shudder through the air that sent even the most primitive insects into hiding. The growl that followed inspired silence for miles in every direction and the rolling anger of his aura blew the foliage around him like a strong wind.

Sesshōmaru’s body hummed like an electric current as a result of remaining stagnant, but his control was so great that he merely slid gracefully to his full height beneath the tree's branches. Stepping out from the shadows, he focused his gaze on the dark winged shape floating across the night's sky and felt his hackles rise.

Mōryōmaru had returned and it was no longer alone.

Despite the lack of breeze in the air, the dai-yōkai could still detect the scents of the creature's companions. The unmistakable stench of Naraku's spawn was there in the form of Akago and he knew the graveyard odor belonged to the priestess, Kikyō. Sesshōmaru inhaled deeply and was surprised to find the other young priestess, Kagome, among them. Her scent was warm with the vibrancy of life and so thoroughly smothered by Inuyasha's scent that his eyes nearly watered.

So, the half-breed had it in him after all; _s_ cent-marking was the first step in claiming a female for a life-mate and knowing Inuyasha's ignorance of all things inu-yōkai, Sesshōmaru was sure his hanyō brother was clueless as to his actions toward her.

Abandoning that particular line of thought and the amused lilt that went with it, Sesshōmaru continued to sift through the scented cloud left in Mōryōmaru’s wake. He filtered each individual's scent one at a time to make sure he'd accounted for them all, but one scent remained when he was done. It was a female scent that he was well acquainted with, and yet at the same time, knew nothing about. It had remained the same sweet and floral smell, but there was also a new, stronger facet to it that had come from finally reaching adulthood.

Rin.

He let the scent assail his senses and flood his body, stirring something within him that had never been touched before. It was puzzling to find a part of him that he didn't understand completely and it unnerved him. The last time he'd felt such an emotion was after his father's death, shocked that such a thing could come to pass.

It also revived the strong, nearly irrational protective instinct within him, to the point his body trembled to kill anything standing between them. It was bred down into the very cells of his body to guard any female he thought of with esteem. Revering a female was one of the first reasons a male inu-yōkai used to decide whether or not to claim a female, and due to the fact that males out-numbered female inu-yōkai twenty-to-one, losing one was tragic.

The fact that he'd already staunchly defended his claim on Rin did not escape his attention.

Had he really attached himself to her like a mate? His mind filtered back through the memories of their times together before and his lack of self-preservation when her safety was in question. He was  _the_  highest ranking inu-yōkai; his duties were not regulated to just defending his family's honor, but also to insure the stability of his father's treaties and alliances, as well as maintaining order in the more primitive strains of his species. To think he'd been so careless with his life made him pause.

Was Rin really more important to him than Inu no Taishō's legacy? More important than his own life?

The implication rattled him as he watched Mōryōmaru descend within the walls of his father's fortress. Sesshōmaru ignored all the warning snarls in the back of his mind and finally moved, propelling all the pent up energy within his body into his swift legs as he ran through the forest. The rage that had been slowly simmering over the last few days rippled through his muscles as he ran, but he didn't allow it to consume him. Doing so would be careless and for the first time in his life, he couldn't figure out what he was angrier about: the fact his father's fortress had been desecrated or that Rin was being taken within those walls where evil lurked.

The small shred of doubt dug its claws into him and Sesshōmaru couldn't shake it. He'd never before gone into battle doubting his skill and did the only thing he knew would silence it. Decision made, the vicious irrationality that possessed him whenever Rin was in danger swept through him like a whirlwind, dashing away any of his former doubts.

He  _would_  bring her back. He  _would_  kill all those in his way. He  _would_  exterminate the vermin running wild through his rightful property, Inu no Taishō's barrier against him be damned.

He could settle his mental confliction when it was over, if he didn't kill himself in the process.

* * *

 

"Well, Kikyō, you've really outdone yourself this time." Naraku chuckled as he gazed down at Kagome sprawled on the unforgiving marble floor of the hall. "A totally drained priestess  _and_  three shards of the  _Shikon no Tama_."

"If you think I'm just going to hand them over, then you-" Kagome's retort was violently cut short by the tentacle that shot from Naraku's arm to wrap about her throat.

He cocked his head as he lifted her off the ground, grinning when she clawed at the appendage and kicked out her feet trying to get air. "You always were an amusing thing, Kagome."

Dragging her so that their eyes were level, he reached out with his other hand and tore her pocket open to take the three glowing shards. He made sure she watched, face strained, as he produced the nearly pitch black Sacred Jewel and added her three shards. The power that pulsed off of it was heady in its resonance and all he needed was one last shard to make it complete. He turned it in the light from the fire roaring behind him and marveled at the amount of corruption he'd filled it with.

"I think it's time for me to have a little conversation with Kohaku."

Kagome bucked hard in his grip at the boy's name and his irritation had her flying back into the stone tiles of the floor. Her body slapped hard against it as she gave in to a wretched fit of coughing. She clutched her throat as she pulled herself into a crouch, eyes boring into his with what looked like rage.

He closed his fist around the gem. "You don't approve?"

She tried to speak, but only a rasping sound came out of her mouth.

Naraku smiled, shaking his head. "I guess you're right. I should probably just rip the shard right out of his back and have Kagura deliver his rotting corpse at Sango's feet. What do you think of that?"

"I-I'm...go-going to...kill y-you." Kagome choked the words out venomously.

"Yes," he nodded soothingly. "Of course you are." He gestured to Kikyō, who knelt off to his right. "That's why I had her provide a little intervention on my part and the fool that you are, you fell right into her trap."

Kagome's wide brown eyes shifted from him to the priestess hiding her face behind the black curtain of her hair.

"Oh, yes. Kikyō was the mastermind behind that little scheme. My boys had nothing to do with it."

"I'm still...going to kill you."

Naraku sighed and turned away from bedraggled rat of a girl to level Hakudōshi with a weighted stare. "I trust that you will have disposed of this by the time I return?"

The lavender eyes that stared back were completely devoid of emotion. "Yes."

"Good." His navy haori-draped frame began to dissolve into his familiar black mist. "Don't forget to let Akago have his fun with that whelp of Sesshōmaru’s."

Hakudōshi watched him go and waited until Naraku's cloud had gone over the horizon before he spoke. "Fucking bastard." He glared at Kanna, who stood emptily beside him. "I'm going the kill that little shit, Akago, the first chance I get."

Her voice was soft, barely a whisper. "That would be inadvisable.”

"I know it would because you'd fucking tell Naraku before I had the chance to do it."

When she remained mute, he glared over at Kikyō. "I'm not even going to waste my fucking time with you. You'll be dead before daybreak, but you," he lifted his stump of an arm in Kagome's direction, "you I'm going to do nice and slow."

He started toward her, a mad gleam in his pale eyes, but stilled when a bolt of lightning ignited the night sky through the ornate plate glass windows lining the hall's walls. Kagome watched nervously as the sky seemed to suddenly go berserk, lightning raining down around the fortress with what seemed like an enraged intensity. The thunder that should have followed was noticeably absent, along with the rain that normally accompanied a storm. An electric tingle raced down her spine as she moved closer to the wall.

It was the same sensation that had woken her when they arrived at the fortress, likely something reacting with a barrier.

A muffled thud sounded to her right and Kagome turned to see Rin sprawled at the foot of the massive marble staircase leading to the upper floors. Akago appeared on the landing above, glaring down at the girl as she groaned and tried to get up. He sneered as he followed down the steps and strode toward her, kicking her hard in the stomach when he reached her.

"I told you to shut up!" Lifting his gaze away from her crumpled body, he spotted Hakudōshi. "What is going on?"

The older sibling just glared at him and held his only hand out to Kanna. She obediently stepped forward and handed him her mirror. He took a single glance and shoved the looking glass back at her. "It's that fucking mutt, Sesshōmaru!"

Kagome forced herself to keep silent when all she wanted to do was burst out in hysterical laughter.

Akago's lavender eyes narrowed. "I thought the barrier around this place kept him out."

"Obviously not!" Hakudōshi looked like he was going to blow a circuit. "He's just marching right the fuck in!"

"Stop shouting, you idiot." Akago crossed his arms in thought.

Hakudōshi was about to scream back when the enormous steel entrance doors rattled on their hinges. All eyes in the room swung around to affix themselves on the creaking doors, the tension in the air thick enough to suffocate them should they try to breathe. The rattling stopped and in the silence there was a soft laugh echoing through the hall.

"I told you..."

Rin's voice was deranged from trauma and pain as she lifted her head, hair hanging around her face in a shaggy mess. "I told you he'd come."

"I said," Akago took two steps and backhanded her so hard that her lip split open as her head snapped back, "shut up!"

Kagome leapt to her feet and began to run toward her when the doors rattled again, this time accompanied by a brilliant blue light that spilled in through the cracks along the floor. She hesitated and watched with huge eyes as the steel began to crack like thin ice on a lake, splintering small slivers onto the marble tiles. The blue light died down and they were once again plunged into silence.

Hakudōshi’s face twisted into an insane snarl, lips curled back angrily. "Fuck this!"

He stormed toward the doors just as the blue light returned and Kagome's brain finally registered what it was – Tokijin's kenatsu _._

She bolted across the room, ignoring Akago's shout and snatched up Rin by her armpits. She dragged her around the stone banister's wide base and into the small alcove it created with the wall. Kagome managed to lie on top of her just as the doors exploded inward, sending enormous pieces of broken steel sailing into the hall.

Glass windows shattered as the fire in the hearth blew out. The art that decorated the walls was shredded as the kenatsu blasted into the room. The elegant and strangely European furniture that was set about the hall was destroyed. What had once been an entertaining hall fit for a royal palace was now demolished like a tornado had blown through.

Kagome risked lifting her head as dust fell from the ceiling to coat the room and was suddenly drowning in Sesshōmaru’s swirling aura. She put a hand to her temple in attempt to pacify the pain and squinted through the haze at the tall form occupying where the steel doors had been standing just moments before.

"Sesshōmaru..."

The young priestess nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the hissing whisper. She whirled around, shielding Rin, and her eyes fell on Hakudōshi. The shock of seeing him pinned to the wall and nearly severed in half by a jagged piece of the door had her lifting a hand to her mouth to stop from retching.

Blood was splashed on the wall like he'd been imploded and spread on the floor as if it was being poured there. His legs were bent in a way that spoke volumes to their lack of connection to the rest of him. He was clutching the steel with his only hand, gore splattered on his clothes as his entrails hung from beneath the deadly metal. His lavender head was bowed and when he raised it, still more blood drooled from his lips.

"Sess...Sesshōmaru..." The corner of his mouth twisted with an insane grin as he baited the dai-yōkai to attack. "You can't...kill me..."

Kagome tore her eyes away and focused them instead on Inuyasha's elder, full-blooded yōkai brother. He was the same as she remembered him, dressed in his pristine haori and hakama with the little red, hexagonal design. His armor was no different, with its spiked pauldron and beautiful blue and yellow sash holding Tensaiga. His shimmering fur ruff still wrapped about the shoulder of his remaining arm, whose hand was gripping the hilt of the lethal Tokijin.

The striking features of his face gave way to his yōkai heritage by the crescent moon on his forehead and the twin stripes gracing his cheeks. The stripes outlining his hardened tourmaline eyes gave them a lethal sophistication and the chilling expression in their depths made her wonder what exactly she was looking to have changed in him.

And then she noticed the crackling aura outlining his body and frowned knowing that Sesshōmaru never manifested his aura like that.Lightning flashed through the gaping opening behind him and Kagome felt like slapping herself at the realization the barrier was attacking him.

"You... _can't_...kill me!"

Hakudōshi’s crazed shout had her tensing to the point her back began to spasm as Sesshōmaru continued to stare at him. The tension abated only a tiny bit when his eyes finally moved to scan the room. Apparently not finding what they were looking for, he cut them back to the mutilated demon.

"Where is she?"

"You can't...kill me! You can't. Kill me.  _You can't. Kill me._ "

Sesshōmaru’s deep timbre resonated coldly through the room. "Where  _is_  she?"

" _You. Can't. Kill. Me!_ "

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Kagome jerked her eyes to a pile of smashed furniture that began to move. The top panel of an ornate desk was shoved upward and crashed the floor to reveal Akago.

The demon child boldly strode across the room to stand beside his impaled sibling. "We all understand that Sesshōmaru can't kill you, but guess what?" He held up his hand. "I can."

Hakudōshi’s delirium seemed to finally find focus. "What are...?"

Akago reached out and laid his hand on Hakudōshi’s forehead, the only part of his body that seemed to be devoid of blood. "Killing you, that's what I'm doing."

Kagome watched Hakudōshi’s eyes widen as what she guessed was his part of Naraku's heart was returned to him. His mouth moved like he was trying to speak, but no words escaped. It was only a few seconds before his chin fell forward to rest on the jagged metal attaching him to the wall.

Hakudōshi was dead.

Akago took away his hand and wiped it on the navy leg of his hakama, a grin playing at his lips. "I have wanted to do that for a very long time." He sighed and pivoted on his heel, eyes meeting the dai-yōkai's. "Hello, Sesshōmaru."

Sesshōmaru didn't bother to offer him a response other than the raised blade of Tokijin.

The boy scowled. "First Inuyasha, now you? What? Didn't your father teach you any manners?"

Kagome's jaw almost hit the floor as she glanced at Sesshōmaru.

The only thing about him that changed was the slight swirl of blue energy surrounding Tokijin. "Where?"

"Well, it just so happens that there are three females in this room." Akago raised a lone brow. "To which are you referring?"

Kagome had completely forgotten about Kikyō and a quick glance past Sesshōmaru’s fur ruff found the dying priestess leaning heavily against the wall. She didn't know how she was going to get both her and Rin out of the fortress, but she knew she had to try. Kagome stood slowly to make her presence known to Sesshōmaru. In keeping with his usual nature, the powerful inu-yōkai didn't acknowledge her.

Sesshōmaru’s yōki began to swell beneath the electricity clinging to his body, a pulsing red energy that matched the intensified energy swirling around Tokijin. "You know."

"Ah, yes. I guess I do." Akago turned his head and locked eyes with Kagome.

She glared at him as she blocked Rin from him, but risked locking eyes with Sesshōmaru. "Rin's behind me, Sesshōmaru."

The eyes that so strongly reminded her of Inuyasha's settled on her emotionlessly. He simply stared at her for a moment before sending her a subtle nod. "Go. Now."

Kagome didn't hesitate, spinning around taking an enormous hold on Rin's kimono. Hauling the dazed girl to her feet, she dragged her behind her as she dashed for the open doorway just as Sesshōmaru released Tokijin's  _kenatsu_  at Akago. The blast shook the ground beneath her feet, but she managed to half-carry, half-pull Rin with her without falling.

"Fool!"

Akago's shout echoed through the battered hall just as Mōryōmaru’s bulk smashed through the cavernous doorway and dove straight for them.

* * *

 

Kikyō made her decision and made it quickly. She used the very last of her body's strength to push away from the wall and step into Mōryōmaru’s path. Her movements were measured and precise as she slid in between him and the two girls, calmly raising her long bow.

Pulling back the bowstring, she sighted down the arrow's length to stare down the beast roaring toward her. His empty human face transformed just before he reached her, shifting into that of a dragon's. Kikyō didn't let the sight of his razor sharp fangs daunt her as his talons reached out to sink into her flesh.

She kept him in her sights even as she began to fall back under his weight and when his jaws lowered to administer the killing blow, she smiled.

"Now, you die."

* * *

 

"Stay low, Kirara." Sango gave the nekomata a gentle squeeze where her hand was buried in the creamy fur. "Miroku still isn't steady by himself."

The enormous, saber-toothed cat gave a gentle growl and kept her altitude just above the tree line.

"Do you really think it's wise to leave Inuyasha and Kagome behind?"

Miroku's gentle tone made her hunch her shoulders defensively and she winced from the pain it shot through her tender joint. Shaking it off, she kept her eyes trained on the horizon in the direction Kagura had taken. Nothing he could say was going to make her change her mind, so she ignored him.

"Sango," he laid a gentle hand at her waist, "did you hear me?"

"Yes." Irritated, she tensed under his touch. "I heard you."

He shifted closer. "Then why didn't you answer me?"

"Because they can take care of themselves."

The waspish response silenced him long enough for him to sigh and move closer so her back brushed his chest. His cursed hand slipped under her right arm so he could gently grasp her shoulder as his left arm snaked around her waist and anchored her to him. She stiffened and tried to pull away, but even with his recent wounds, he was still remarkably strong. Unable to fight his hold, she relented and leaned back into the comforting shelter of his arms.

She blew out a tense breath. "You shouldn't be moving. You don't have your balance yet."

The warm breath of his chuckle floated over the nape of her neck. "Why don't you let me worry about that and tell me what happened with Kohaku?"

Sango had absolutely no warning when the tears ambushed her. She tipped her head so she could see the vague profile of his face in her peripheral vision as his lips pressed a kiss to her neck.

Her blurred vision dropped to the pouch strapped around her hips – she'd made out of the shoulder bag she used to carry her slaying tools. Shippō lay curled within its folds, tucked up against the warmth of her body. It amazed her that he could still make himself so small when he'd grown so much.

Sango gazed down at his peaceful little face and choked back a sob. "I'm sorry."

"No," his mouth murmured just behind her right ear as he took in the smell of her hair, "don't be."

"How did you know it was about Kohaku?"

She felt his lips smile against her skin. "Because I make it a point to understand  _everything_  about my wife."

Sango snorted softly. "I guess I don't make it that difficult."

"Well, there's only one thing strong enough to make you push away your friends and family." His chin rested on her shoulder when she released a shuddering sigh, concern lacing his soft voice. "What happened?"

Sango bit her lip and blinked back the fresh wave of tears that threatened to fall. "He told me to forget him." Her valiant effort to fight the tears shattered when the pain of what Kohaku had implied truly hit her. "He told me to forget him and move on. Just like that."

Miroku felt her body shudder with suppressed sobs and felt a sudden flicker of ire flash inside him at Kohaku. Somewhere deep below the field of his emotions, Miroku understood why the boy had done what he did, but he also knew that there were better ways then to callously demand she forget him. There was no doubt in his mind that if Kohaku had asked for Sango to allow him the chance to avenge him that she would have done it.

"I'm so sorry." His fingers gripped her tightly.

If Kohaku had tried pleading, she would have acquiesced, but his bristling tactics had only achieved the opposite. Sango was going to chase him down for the rest of her days if that's what it took to set him free. Sango gave up the fight and leaned back entirely within his embrace. She dropped her head to his shoulder and turned her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel the moisture from her tears on his skin and frustration took its time to angrily screw his features.

He scowled as he realized what this meant for himself as well. As long as Kohaku continued to push her way, Sango would continue to follow and where she went, he would go as well. It was a discouraging thing to know that their one chance at a normal life was quickly slipping through their fingers.

Maybe it was selfishness on his part, but it didn't seem fair.

He'd known he wanted to be a husband and father even as a teenage boy, only the desire for Naraku's death succeeding it. Knowing what he wanted had never been an issue for him, no matter what Kagome liked to say. He enjoyed female company immensely and he was willing to do just that until he had found the one woman he couldn't bring himself to leave. When he looked back, he knew he'd loved Sango the first moment their eyes met and that only death itself would be able to pull him away.

The strength of such an emotion was daunting and it scared the living daylights out of him. It was irresistible and unnerving and he quaked in the face of his desire for her, mind, body and soul. He also knew that if he had let her in on even just a hint of his feelings, she would run away, and because she wasn't ready to give herself to love, he clung desperately to hope and sought reassurance by continuing to do what was familiar. By doing that, his flirtatious ways had actually opened her eyes and he'd used that jealously as an underhanded way of gaining her attentions.

As devious as that sounded, he wasn't ashamed and he took the time to savor the way her eyes had watched like a hawk. It was sinister for him to enjoy seeing her suffer, but seeing her in such a state meant that his dreams had come true. He knew at that point she could handle what he was willing to give and let her have it all. She'd been shocked and flattered and overwhelmed, but she hadn't turned him away. It was a major milestone and the pleasure it gave him was indescribable. After that moment, everything else seemed to just fall into place.

Except, of course, the part where they raised their children and grew old together.

"I know it hurts deeply, but he was only trying to do what he thought was necessary. He loves you as much as you love him and he doesn't know of any other way to keep you safe, but I want you to remember something."

She sniffed delicately. "What?"

"Naraku is the one to blame, not Kohaku."

"But I know-"

"Ssh," he held her down when she tried to bolt upright, "just listen."

She pillowed her head back on his shoulder and sighed dejectedly.

Miroku couldn't help but smile. "I think that your emotions tend to take control of you when you're around Kohaku. You are always going to bicker about who should protect who because you are family. That's just how families operate."

"How would you know?"

Miroku let the bitter remark roll off his shoulders.

"I may not have had a family growing up, but I do now." His fingers drew small circles on the soft curve of her hip. "I have you, my beautiful wife. Inuyasha is my brother in all ways but blood, and Kagome's the loving sister I never had." He nodded toward Kirara. "I've got Kirara and Shippō too, so I may not have started out with one, but I have a family now."

Sango bit her trembling lip. "I'm sorry. That was childish of me."

He laughed. "It's alright. It's the truth. I love that you can be so brutally honest."

She sighed shakily. "I just hate it when you pretend to be oblivious when you're more insightful than I am."

"Take heart, Sango. I enjoy frustrating the hell out of you."

"It's cruel and unusual."

That had him choking back an explosion of laughter. "But do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes." She turned her face back into his neck. "I know that I lose sight of why Kohaku is the way he is. It's easy to blame someone when you can actually see or touch them. It's hard for me to look past the atrocities he's committed, even though I know it was out of his control. I  _know_  it's Naraku's doing, but the world isn't just black and white. You have to be able to filter through all the gray areas."

Miroku kissed her temple before resting his cheek on her head. "Do you feel better now?"

Her annoyance was palpable. "Yes. Happy?"

"Absolutely." He dangerously dragged his fingers up her ribcage to delicately tease the soft swell of her breast. "I've never been better."

"Keep it up and you'll find yourself back in the land of unconsciousness."

The smile on her face belied her threat and he began to trail kisses down the side of face. He met the corner of her mouth and she turned her head to give him better access to her lips. Lifting her head, she sealed them together for a lingering moment before suddenly jerking her head away.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Miroku blinked with confusion. He had an idea, sure, but she would probably deck him if he voiced it.

"Try using your other head for a change, lecher." She rolled her eyes. "Shift your focus."

He grinned as he did as she asked. "Alright."

The grin was short-lived.

"That aura..."

"It's Naraku." She fisted a hand in Kirara's fur. "I know it."

The swell of evil moved swiftly, coming closer to them with every passing second. Together they turned their heads in its direction and were able to discern his dark cloud against the black canvas of the night sky.

Sango went on full alert, pulling away from him to actively ride the nekomata. "Kirara, follow that cloud as fast as you can!"

The giant feline did as asked and the cool air was suddenly whipping through them.

Miroku could only follow Sango's example and sit forward. "I don't think it's the best time to be hunting down Naraku. We're both only at half capacity."

"He's going in the same direction that Kohaku went and I have this dark feeling that tells me it isn't to deal out new orders."

Well, that definitely put an end to his complaints.

"Kirara," he laid a supportive hand on Sango's back, "make haste."

* * *

 

They had stopped moving. Inuyasha inhaled deeply and pried open his eyes at the crisp smell of water. Just beyond the dark front hooves of Shunsoku was the rocky bed of a forest creek. The sight nearly made him weep – okay, that was a stretch, but he could honestly say that this was the first time he'd ever gotten emotional over something so perpetually mundane.

His tongue practically screamed in his mouth, sliding out to scrape along his cracked lips. It was torture staring down at the crystalline liquid as the horse he was sitting on gulped it down desperately, but he figured the guy deserved it. He'd been the one to do all the work to get here and it wasn't like he could tell him no – he wouldn't have listened. There was no like between them; Shunsoku merely tolerated his presence because of Kagome.

Inuyasha tried to move his limbs, but the length of time spent lying in the saddle had left them painfully cramped. The sweat had left a grimy film on his skin and the sickly smell was overwhelming. Forcing his arm to move, he laid his fingers against the wound in his belly. Despite the fact he hadn't really eaten a good meal in days and was severely dehydrated, his wound had begun to knit itself shut. It was still extremely painful to move, but stepping off Death's doorstep was relieving.

He returned his attention to the creek and sat up. His back was wailing by the time he was done and the prospect of actually swinging his leg over Shunsoku’s hip to get down was disconcerting. He tried to measure the distance from the saddle to the ground and sighed.

"Fuck it."

Pitching forward, he allowed his body weight and momentum to throw himself over Shunsoku’s shoulder. The gravelly sand was unforgiving, bruising his side as he landed with an unceremonious thud. The horse side-stepped away and continued to drink as if having his rider throw himself from his back was an everyday occurrence.

Inuyasha ignored him and forced his stiff and aching body to move. He crawled to the creek's bank and drank deeply, cherishing the feel of the cool clean liquid as it ran down his throat. Taking in his fill, he stared at his battered reflection on the water's surface. Dark circles framed his dry eyes and were complimented by the ugly slash across his cheek. He pushed up onto his forearms and started to drag his legs underneath him in an attempt to get to his feet.

Using a nearby rock to steady himself, Inuyasha staggered to his feet despite the burning ache in his calf. He stared down into the water and was surprised at just how much blood was plastered to his clothes and dried to his skin. He looked ghoulish with the pale skin, hollow eyes and unkempt hair; a strong representation of one of Kagura's undead warriors with all the blood painted on him.

When he was sure he could stand without collapsing, Inuyasha slowly waded into the water and submerged himself when it deepened. He flattened his ears to his head to keep the water out of them and settled just beneath the surface, relishing the soft burn in his lungs. He relaxed as he tread water and let the cool water work its rejuvenating magic. Despite the fact he was starving, his body felt refreshed and alert. A strong rub with his hand was all that was needed to wash away the blood from his skin, but his clothes would need a more thorough scrubbing.

He rose from the water when he swam to shallower water, pulling his kosode and haori both over his head as he exited the creek. Tossing them on a nearby rock, he gave himself a shake to dispel the excess water clinging to his flesh and bent to examine his wound. While Akago had probably been aiming for something more vital, his tiny katana had only managed a shallow depth and it had allowed his inu-yōkai to heal with little trouble. The slit itself was small, surrounded by a large mottled bruise that covered three-quarters of his left flank.

"I've gotten worse wounds from Sesshōmaru." Inuyasha knelt to the ground and lifted the torn leg of his hakama, examining the small piece of wood still lodged in his leg. "Kagome should know," he jerked the wood out with only a flicker of a grimace, "she was there."

Having relieved the fire that bit into his leg at the slightest movement, Inuyasha sat down on the bank with his legs in the water. He disentangled his kosode and haori and began to scrub away at the blood stains while Shunsoku grazed around him. It wasn't long before the once clear water turned ruddy. Once he got the garments as clean as they would get, he turned his attention to Kagome's horse and began to unsaddle him.

"I bet Kagome thinks I wouldn't be able to figure this out." He took off her satchel, quiver, and bow before loosening the cinch strap. "I don't just sit around watching people for my health."

Pulling the worn saddle from Shunsoku’s back, he dropped it beside the rock where his clothes were drying. He dug around in her satchel to find the brush and once located, spent a good amount of time rubbing down the horse's sweaty coat. Shunsoku seemed to be pleased and when Inuyasha finally stepped back, reached out to nuzzle his hands.

"Yeah, that's right." He scratched the gray's forehead. "Truce?"

Shunsoku bobbed his head and returned to the grass.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He ambled over to where he'd dropped the saddle and lay down. Staring up at the moon in the night's sky, he guessed that he only had a few more nights before the new moon came around – just what he didn’t need. He sighed and closed his eyes.

A twisting pang of hunger had him rolling onto his side and investigating the inner sanctum of Kagome's satchel. "I wonder..." He rummaged through all the bandages and creams, discovering a small zipper on the inside lining. Sliding it open, he reached in.

"Bingo."

Inside were two small bars – granola-something Kagome said – and one of those candy-on-a-stick things that Shippō was nuts about. It wasn't much, but he'd take what he could get. He greedily downed the two bars and reclined back into the saddle with the sucker. Rolling it around on his tongue, he pulled it out to stare at its colorful design. "I guess Shippō knows what he's talking about. This isn't half bad."

It disappeared quicker than he wanted it to, but he simply discarded the stick and settled back in to get some sleep before he continued on his way. Relaxing into the ground, he was straddling the border into the dream world when a large shadow passed overhead. Instantly awake, he remained where he was to create the illusion that he was asleep and waited. It only took a few moments for it to return, this time spooking Shunsoku into the nearby trees.

Inuyasha let him go and tensed when he felt eyes upon him. Whatever was creating the shadow was large and it hesitated before slowly coming down from the sky. The closer it came, the easier it was for him to discern the dragon shape's body and twin heads.

A-Un?

Inuyasha watched the dragon land quietly and immediately begin to graze in Shunsoku’s wake. What the hell could Sesshōmaru want? The question hung in his mind as he saw a small form jump from the dragon's back. A knowing smirk crossed the hanyō’s lips and he banished it as the tiny creature came ever closer to his still body.

Jaken stopped beside him and frowned, leaning over to peer cautiously into Inuyasha's sleeping face.

The hanyō’s amber eyes snapped open. "Boo."

"Ah!" The imp fell head-over-heels as he tried to flee, managing only to plant himself even more firmly in the dirt. He gathered himself quickly and began to dust off his clothes. "That was uncalled for!"

"Sweet is what that was."

He glared at Inuyasha's chuckle. "Fine, have your fun."

"Thank you. I will." He waited until his laughter was spent before getting to the issue at hand. "So, what brings you around here?"

Jaken raised himself to his full height and puffed out his chest, tightly clutching his Nintōjō. "I have been sent on an urgent mission by my Lord Sesshōmaru to bring you back to him immediately."

"And what is so urgent?"

The imp seemed to suddenly scowl. "He requires your help in removing a barrier around Inu no Taishō's fortress."

"Sesshōmaru?" Inuyasha didn't have to feign his surprise. "Needs my help?"

Jaken seemed surprised and saddened at the same time. "Don't make me repeat it."

Inuyasha recalled the conversation he had with Kohaku. "Is this supposed barrier the reason he can’t get to Hakudōshi at our father's place?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Inu no Taishō seems to have erected a barrier that bars his full-blooded son from the fortress without a blood blessing from his hanyō son." Jaken leaned on his staff. "It seems there was a barrier of the opposite effect bordering the Western Lands, but Lord Sesshōmaru has granted you passage."

"How generous of him." Inuyasha sat up. "Has Kagome been taken there?"

"That I do not know, although Naraku's presence has been confirmed. I have been searching for you for two days."

The hanyō got up and put on his still-damp kosode and haori. "Alright, let's go."

"Excellent." Jaken ambled back toward Ah-Un.

Inuyasha glanced at the saddle and thought of the horse of which Kagome was so fond – he wasn’t about to admit similar sentiments, even if they were true. Shunsoku would instinctually follow his internal compass back to the place he called home and Inuyasha could only hope that he would return to Kaede's village. He didn't want to think of how disappointed Kagome would be if she never saw him again.

Trusting the horse to make the right decision, he picked up Kagome's quiver, with her bow safely tucked inside, and her satchel and slung them over his shoulder. He strode over to the twin-headed dragon. "So, how fast can this tank of a dragon fly?"


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: body horror and gore

_“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.” – Seneca, Moral Essays: Volume III_  

* * *

 

Mōryōmaru was brief in his execution, moving on to target Sesshōmaru once the fight had left her.

Kikyō felt as if her body was being crushed and yet experienced none of the pain that should have accompanied such an event. Her vision darkened the room around her and she was suddenly engulfed in a cold that sunk down into her bones. Although chilled, she could feel the ragged clothes clinging to her frame and the blood that flowed from her wounds.

The sensation began to fade as the life-giving souls within her departed. She knew it was only a matter of time now before her existence on this plane ended, and it brought a smile to her lips.

"Kikyō!"

Hands were suddenly lifting her up, pulling her into a lap. She lifted her head and found that the arms cradling her belonged to Kagome. Her face was smeared with dirt and dried blood, the tears in her eyes giving them a liquid crystal quality, but all Kikyō could see was a beautiful girl full of promise. And as if to foreshadow her destiny, Kagome used that shining heart to suppress the souls from leaving her broken body.

Kikyō’s smile only brightened. "Kagome, I was wrong."

Those luminous brown eyes wrenched away from her ravished body to her face. "Kikyō, don't talk. You need to save your strength. I can get you out of here."

"Kagome..." The older priestess waited until the girl stopped fussing and truly listened to her. "I am dying."

"No," Kagome bit her lip and shook her head, "please, you can't."

"You know as well as I do that I was already dying." She sighed. "Death is only natural."

"Why?"

Debris rained down on them before Kikyō could respond, the fortress shuddering on its foundation as the battle between the yōkai smashed its way outside. Kagome hunched over to shield the elder woman until the dust ceased to fall, glancing back quickly to see how Rin had faired; the girl had tucked herself up against the wall and was busy tearing off the already shredded kimono to free her legs.

Kagome tightened her arms around Kikyō. "We don't have much time. I have to get you out of here."

Kikyō shoved her away with what little strength she had left. "No."

"We can't stay here! It's too dangerous!"

Kikyō ignored her. "I did what I did to make sure the two of you survived this night, because I certainly will not. I was never meant to return to the world of the living, but it seems I was brought back for a reason. It took me until tonight to realize that  _you_  were that reason."

"What?" Kagome blinked with confusion. "I...I don't understand."

"I have always questioned why I was given this second chance at life. At first I thought it was because my thirst for revenge was so strong that the gods renewed me to kill Inuyasha, but then I learned of Naraku's treachery. Given the fact that my soul had been passed to another, I assumed that I was brought back because you were too weak to kill Naraku and restore the  _Shikon no Tama._ "

Kikyō sighed and laid her hand on Kagome's arm. "I told myself to hate you and it was easy when I saw how you were with Inuyasha. I believed he belonged to me and that you were stealing him from me. Soon I realized that my power was weakened with part of my soul missing and I began to desire your death."

Kagome couldn't hide the hurt from her expression. "You had so many chances to do it. Why didn't you?"

"There was so much good inside you that I couldn't bring myself to commit such an act. If anybody should be envious of anyone, it is I of you."

"Me?"

A ragged laugh escaped her. "Despite all the animosity I have shown you, you still decided to save my life from Naraku's miasma. And when the decay of my body began to twist my mind, I  _did_  attempt to kill you." She smiled ruefully. "And yet here you sit, still trying to save my life."

Kagome scowled with indignation.

"You still don't see why?"

"No."

"Even before my death, that quality was absent from my being. I would have never done what you have done and I knew, with a shockingly painful realization, that  _you_  were the stronger woman." She took a shallow breath. "All this time I had believed my second chance was to rectify my mistakes and avenge my death, but I now know that my second chance is through  _you._ "

Kikyō could see the girl was still confused underneath the surprise painting her face.

"Kagome, you were given my soul so  _you_  could do all the things I thought I was brought back to do. You're the one destined to reclaim the Sacred Jewel and kill Naraku because you are stronger than I was. Tonight I realized that I was brought back to help you to do that and I have failed miserably."

The thought appalled Kagome. "How could you have failed? It's because of you that I try so hard."

"I didn't teach you the priestess practices or how to reach the full potential of your power. I have knowledge and experience manipulating my aura and energy and I should have passed it down to you. I despised who and what I was and the thought of you wanting to be a priestess never occurred to me."

Kagome searched her eyes for a few moments and nodded. "I don't agree that you failed, but I accept that you didn't go about it in the best manner." Her expression grew somber. "What about Inuyasha?"

Kikyō ignored the pain beginning to creep along the edges of her mind. "I imagined myself in love with him, but I've known for a long time that I merely wanted to possess him."

"Kikyō…”

"Yes, I know." Her right eye began to twitch as the pain intensified. "I may have had my sister and the villagers, but I was painfully alone in my existence. I wanted someone who understood the torment I lived with every day. I saw myself reflected back at me in his eyes and I think I thought that if I loved him that I would somehow come to love myself."

"Oh, Kikyō..." The tears had returned to Kagome's eyes as she gently touched Kikyō’s fluttering temple.

"I was trapped by my duty to the  _Shikon no Tama_  and wanted to be rid of it. That's when I told him to become human; that way I would be free of the jewel and he would be bound to me forever." She gave a soft snort of disgust. "I never asked what he wanted. I only thought of my own desires to be normal and in some backward way I thought that was what I was giving him."

"I don't think he would see it that way."

"Have you asked him about his feelings for me?"

She nodded. "Yes. He says he doesn't love you like that anymore."

"I don't believe he ever truly did."

Kagome brushed back Kikyō’s bangs, acceptance of what was to come finally giving her voice serenity. "And what do you believe?"

"I believe the gods try to direct us on a path, but because they do not control free will, they must present us with choices and tests along that path. How we act will determine where that path leads. I believe the gods used the prospect of love as a test to see if I was worthy of the task they had given me. By polluting it with the darkness of my heart, I failed their test and was stripped of my life."

"You're saying they killed you as punishment?"

"Yes, but not because of what you think. I had already been given the honor of protecting one of the gods’ creations, the Sacred Jewel. To be offered love is the ultimate test a person can be given. Only a true and pure love will prevail; the one I was creating was twisted. The duty I had so easily discarded did not just concern my life, but the lives of many. When I threatened those lives in an attempt to attain that love, the gods decided I was no longer person they had chosen me to be. I had failed their test of purity and only a truly pure heart would be able to defeat the corrupted one I had released into the world.

"The gods couldn't allow the ripples of my mistake wreak havoc on the world, so they decided to return my soul to this world to atone. But they didn't want to give that soul to just anyone," Kikyō gripped Kagome's hand, "they waited five hundred years to give it to a pure heart – to you, Kagome."

Kagome bowed her head. "You saw what I did to Inuyasha. My heart isn't pure."

"You're being put through the test of love, even if for no other reason than the fact your souls are bound to one another's." Kikyō swallowed a cough as the souls within her tried to leave. She squeezed Kagome's arm tightly. "Love is said to make people do strange and uncharacteristic things. Yes, you made a mistake, but only because you love him beyond conscious understanding."

Her breathing grew labored. "The love you share is deep...and unyielding...persevering despite all the obstacles that would tear other's bond apart." Kikyō began to wheeze. "You...must...suf-suffer...the fray...and ful-fulfill both...our destinies."

Kagome cried openly as she caressed the dying priestess's face. "Okay, I will." She tried to smile as she nodded. "For you."

Kikyō’s expression was peaceful. "G-good. Now let...me go."

A broken sob escaped Kagome's throat as she gently slid her legs out from under Kikyō’s torso. Arms shaking, she laid the priestess's head down on the dirty tile and hesitated before slipping her hands from the woman's shoulders.

"Thank you," her chin wobbled, "for everything."

The release of souls was almost explosive, rising from her body and veering away in droves. Kikyō could feel less and less pain with each passing soul and welcomed the coming calm of death. When there was only one soul remaining in her body, Kikyō blinked slowly and locked her gaze with Kagome.

"I return to you…what is…rightfully yours, Kagome. Use it…well."

* * *

 

A wistfully sensual caress brushed against the edges of his senses and Kōga froze. The familiarity of the sensation set his heart pounding in his chest as fear permeated the fibers of his body and broke free through a sheen of cold sweat. His ears twitched with the sounds of shrill screams echoing through his mind.

Kōga pinched his eyes shut, willing the memories away.

The seductive touch grew bolder, wrapping around him like a lover's embrace and coaxing out the horrid images he had banished to cages in his mind. The faces flashed past his eyes in a rushed succession, all of them painted with stark expressions of terror as they fell beneath his hands. Men, women, children...all of them led like lambs to slaughter.

So many innocents...

He could feel the blood splashing on his face, warm and thick and metallic. Kōga's stomach knotted as he shuddered, remembering how easily their flesh gave way under his claws. The breath in his lungs burned to be released, but the fear of potentially vomiting kept his mouth pressed shut.

A shadow swept over his head and sent him shying back into the thick trunk of a tree, his heart surging up into his throat. The knife of panic succeeded in dispelling his nausea, and he finally opened his lungs to pant rapidly. The chirping of crickets continued to penetrate the thick night air, unfazed despite the terror gripping him, and he realized that the shadow had taken its taunting aura with it when it had passed.

Kōga shivered and held up his hands, staring at his trembling fingers with dismay. Here he was, the future leader of the ōkami-yōkai clan, reduced to a shrinking pup by a mere aura.He drew his fingers into fists until clenching them became painful, using the ache of his joints as a remedy for his clouded mind.

Releasing a tight breath, Kōga stepped out from beneath the branches of the tree and reluctantly turned his eyes back to the darkened sky. He didn't expect to find anything there, but the fact that his body was humming with anticipation made him scrutinize every corner of the huge expanse above him. He was actually disappointed that there was nothing but billowy clouds in the rich night sky. It made him feel paranoid, which meant he was vulnerable, and that was something he vowed to never be again.

He scrubbed a hand along his jaw and gave his head a shake as he took a step back onto the path he had been following through the woods. Movement caught his attention, and he stilled instantly, stealing a glance out of the corner of his eye with the utmost caution.

A dark shape slid past below the milky clouds, and Kōga took the risk of turning his head to get a better look. Staring blankly into the sky, it was relatively easy for him to spot the bowed contour of the object slipping through the clouds.

Kōga narrowed his brilliant blue eyes and under his second assessment, found that there were two small figures hunched atop the boat-like vessel. The realization had him gritting his teeth and growling ominously enough to silence the constant chatter of insects around him.

A feather. Kōga began to move, dodging the underbrush and keeping the airborne pair in his sights. 

If there was any one person he hated more than Naraku, it was Kagura. There was no repenting for the sins she had committed against his brothers-in-arms, and just the thought of being able to finally make that point known to her was thrilling. Kōga flexed his clawed hands, his lips pulled back to bare his glinting fangs in the moonlight. The rush of the hunt pulsed through his veins and fueled his exhausted body to its top speed – which was decidedly slower going than he was used to, but he wasn't about to take the risk of using the power of the jewel shards again.

Branches and shrubs slapped at his limbs as he rocketed along the trail, eyes locked on the sailing feather through the dense tree canopies. His feet pounded on the dirt, lifting fine clouds of dust in their wake, and the tail of his pelt waved like a banner behind him. Whisking his eyes away from Kagura for a fraction of a second, Kōga scanned up ahead in search of anything that would aid his attempt at an ambush.

The aid came in the form of an enormous tree adjacent to the trail that dwarfed every other piece of vegetation around it.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a wolfish grin; it was just what I need to finally catch that trifling bitch.

He clenched his jaw and drove his legs harder, lamenting the loss of speed the _Shikon_ shards had provided him for only a moment. He gave his head a tight shake to re-focus and dug his toes harder into the dirt to propel himself toward the tree. Gauging the speed, Kōga pulled his head down to pull every last drop of velocity from his body.

Careening toward the immense tree, Kōga eyed the distance and leapt at just the right spot to send himself into the lowest branches. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he launched from branch to branch, racing with every beat of his heart to reach the top. He hauled his body, chest heaving, to the highest limb that would hold him and let a satisfactory growl slip from his crooked grin as he watched Kagura sail right into his sights.

Tension flooded his body as the canoe-like, white feather drifted closer. At first he could only make out the fine definition of the vane portion of the feather, but when it slid within mere feet of his reach, Kagura's bowed head popped into view, her dark hair fluttering with the breeze.

Kōga galvanized his muscles and prepared to spring when something suddenly stabbed him through his chest.

His balance lost, his arms wind-milled as he fell backward. Branches tore at his flesh as he plummeted, pain radiating through his entire body when he finally slammed to rest on a wide bough halfway down the tree. Kōga clawed at his chest as he sat up, blood running from what was, in essence his entire body. The only exception seemed to be his chest which was completely intact.

"What the fuck?"

Slowly getting back to his feet, he gave himself a once over. Finding nothing to explain the phantom pain, Kōga turned his wide cyan eyes back to the darkening sky. Fear snared his heart when he realized why that night had fallen dark so many hours premature.

Naraku.

Now that he wasn't so focused on killing Kagura, he realized that the murderous bastard had never really left, just hidden himself from this prey – Kōga seriously doubted that included him, without any shards to make him relevant _._ Whipping his eyes back to the gliding feather, a thought occurred to him that he hadn't considered when he was the one trying to attack Kagura. He scented the air as he watched the wind witch drift ever closer to the swirling black cloud and felt his blood run cold.

Kohaku was with her and Naraku is after the shard in his neck.

Kōga clenched his jaw as he scrambled desperately back to the top of the tree, using all the strength he could muster to leap into the air. The feather wasn't quite as close as had been a few moments before, and he had a fleeting tick of fear that it was out of his reach, but it vanished as his clawed hand clamped onto the quill. The brash maneuver dislocated the white feather from the sky, as well as both of its occupants. The ōkami-yōkai watched as Kohaku and Kagura fell, uncaring of the outcome of the wind witch. Kohaku, on the other hand, was well below him and moved ever closer to the ground.

He couldn't let that kid die now.

Relaxing as the night air turned cold, Kōga fell, twisted mid-flight into a dive, and extended his hand out toward the boy. Kohaku turned his head toward him, and their eyes met just as his kusarigama sliced into the flesh of Kōga's arm.

Kōga snarled at the flash of pain. "You little shit!"

Straining closer, Kōga tried again and was ready when boy slung the hooked blade in his direction. It took Kohaku by surprise when he snatched it out of the air and used his waning strength to jerk the young yōkai-taijiya into his iron-like grasp. Kohaku tried to struggle, but Kōga smothered him against his body as they drew closer to the earth.

Keeping a tight hold of the kusarigama, Kōga eyed for a way to break their fall without breaking their bodies. "Don't fight me, kid! I'm trying to keep you alive!"

Kohaku squirmed. "Did you forget that I'm already dead?!"

Kōga ignored his protest as the trees below them loomed closer, gauging exactly just how he was going to play his next move. The best option he had was to use the branches to slow them down, but leave them in one piece while he did it. Gritting his teeth, Kōga wrapped both arms to lock Kohaku to his chest in an attempt to shield him and gave the boy back his weapon in the process.

"This isn't going to be pretty, so don't fight me."

The heels of his feet broke through the leaves of the canopy, snapping the small branches as he went. Unable to see below him, Kōga tipped his head to the side in an attempt to find the more substantial branches that would be of the most aid to them. In preparation for their potentially painful decent, Kōga realized he had miscalculated and would need his hands more than he originally thought.

"Hold on to me!"

Kohaku did as he asked, seeming to understand where the wolf was coming from, and Kōga grabbed onto any tenuous branch within his reach. He held just long enough for them bend and snap, slowing their speed. The only downfall to this plan of action was the fact each time he held a branch, the more and more it felt like his arms were being ripped from their sockets.

It seemed like a lifetime before they began to slow, the length of time between each branch increasing by the second. The pain from his shoulders began to dim and he took a quick glance toward the ground, a shock of panic shooting down his spine.

They were still going too fast for the ground to be that close.

Scrambling for ideas, he suddenly remembered he had an extra set of hands with him. "Kohaku! Use that crazy weapon of yours!"

Kohaku acted without hesitation, slinging his kusarigama with lightning speed so that the chain wrapped about a large limb of the tree with blade sunk deep into the bark. He twined the end he held around his entire right arm and locked it to his side as it went taunt. Kōga nearly lost his grip on the boy as they went to an instant stop just above the ground and was unable hold him any longer once he was left dangling.

Kōga let his legs collapse as he hit the dirt, rolling so they didn't snap in two. He lay there for a moment as his body throbbed and watched as Kohaku, completely unscathed, pulled himself up the chain of his kusarigama and unwound it from the tree. The boy dropped down easily and walked toward him with an annoyed look on his face.

"Did you forget that I live only because of the jewel shard in my neck?"

The wolf slowly got to his feet. "Did you forget you're a fucking idiot to think Naraku wouldn't just jack your precious shard while you were splattered all over the ground?"

Kohaku's face went somber. "Naraku?"

"Why the fuck do you think pulled you out of the damn sky?" He took a quick look at the cut Kohaku had given him. "You think I'd do that for kicks?" He glanced back at the boy when he didn't respond. "You honestly didn't feel him? He was waiting to ambush you and I'm not about to let him get to you."

Kohaku's eyes widened. "Naraku's here?" He stared down at his blade for a moment and then whipped his head back up. "Kagura!"

The ōkami-yōkai watched the boy whirl to dash off and shook his head. "Oh, hell no." He leapt after him and latched onto the collar of Kohaku's suit. "No way am I going to let you go."

Kohaku glared at him. "If Naraku's here, he'll just kill her when he can't find me. I can't let him do that."

"I don't give a flying fuck what he does to that bitch. Sending her to hell would only be doing me a favor."

"You don't get it! She's working with me  _against_  Naraku!" He jerked free from the wolf's grip. "He's going to kill her."

"I don't fucking care! You're not-" Kōga only had a split second to dodge the singing blade and miss losing his head as Kohaku dashed off into the underbrush. Growling, he started after him. "He really is a fucking idiot."

It wasn't hard for him to catch up with Kohaku as they drew closer and closer to Naraku's oppressing aura. Kōga could see it through the shrubbery: a dark fog covering the small clearing up ahead. He could sense Kagura nearby and knew he had to stop the twerp before he got himself in even bigger trouble.

Spotting Kohaku as he approached the clearing, Kōga coiled down and pounced on the young yōkai-taijiya. "Not so fast, kiddo."

Kohaku bucked under his hands. "Will you mind your own damn business?"

Kōga yanked him upright and pinned him against his chest, covering his mouth to keep him silent. He tipped his head down to whisper in Kohaku's ear. "You need to learn to shut up once in a while. Naraku is right there and he doesn't need to know where you are."

Kohaku went still as the fog suddenly started swirling, Kagura's body becoming visible in the process, and started to shake angrily when Naraku appeared before her. His rage was muffled by Kōga's hand. "No..."

Her shoulders were hunched as she stared at his feet, her eyes squinting shut as Naraku's various tentacles slithered out behind him. The concretion of his aura was suffocating and all she wanted to do was huddle in a hole somewhere and hide. Kagura hated herself for flinching when his hand took hold of her chin and lifted it so that their eyes met.

"Hello, Kagura." His deep voice rattled around inside her until she felt like cracking. "It's been awhile."

She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Not long enough."

"Oh," he pulled away his hand and smiled, "I thought you would be happy to see me put you out of your misery."

Her crimson eyes blinked with fear as his gaze bore deep inside her, feeling as if he were trying to sear her soul. Breathing heavily, she shoved the sensation away and lifted her fan. "Go to hell!"

He chuckled. "So ungrateful. Would you rather that I prolong your suffering?" His tentacles wriggled about behind him. "It would be my pleasure."

Kagura shuddered. "No, I-"

There was a spark of movement, and Kagura watched in slow motion as blood splattered across the ground before her and, knew with a sudden rush of agony that it was hers. The moment ended swiftly as she was thrown back with a violent force and her torso was slashed open from hip to shoulder. Her head snapped back into the ground as she landed like a rag doll in the dirt, her fan spinning in the sand out of reach.

Gazing blankly at the dark night sky, Kagura was relieved that her pain was so great she could no longer feel any of it. A faint smile graced her lips as a hand reached down toward her.

She was being lifted up and continued to stare emptily as Naraku's face drifted into view. "Now isn't the time to be daydreaming, Kagura!"

His hissing voice shattered her newfound solace, and everything became entirely too clear as she was propelled back into the unrelenting trunk of a large tree. Kagura screamed in anguish as more of her bones were pulverized into splinters. Tears spilled unchecked from her eyes as her crushed body slid down the trunk and into a mangled heap on the ground.

Unable to move, she watched with stuttered wheezing as Naraku stalked closer. He stopped a few feet from her and snaked a tentacle around her right ankle, dragging her toward his feet.

"Maybe now you will be more receptive." Naraku slithered his vile appendage up around her throat and lifted her from the ground, grinning when she shrieked as her weight pulled on her wounds. He tipped his head to within inches of hers. "I'd like you to tell me where I can find Kohaku."

Kagura's eyes widened momentarily, but she grit her teeth as she glared at him. "Nev…never..."

The corner of Naraku's mouth lifted. "No? Well," he lifted his right hand up until it was level with her eyes, "perhaps this will loosen that tongue of yours."

From the moment she'd been born, the red glowing object he held was the only thing in the world she had ever truly desired. Everything she had done in her life had been in been hopes of one day possessing it, and now she could not bring herself to care one bit.

The only thing that mattered now was protecting Kohaku from Naraku.

Kagura watched her heart glow and throb and found herself laughing as best she could with blood clogging her lungs.

Naraku's face seemed to suddenly pull together in an enraged sneer. "You dare laugh?" He threw her to the ground. "I will crush your heart into nothing but dust unless you tell me where Kohaku is."

She smiled. "Be...my guest."

Naraku's teeth clenched for a moment before his face went calm. "Oh, well." He brought her heart in front of him as he spoke. "I've been wanting to do this for a long ti-"

Kohaku was almost to point where he couldn't bear to watch Kagura's torture any longer when Naraku suddenly stopped talking and stepped back from the wind witch. Kohaku blinked with fear as the heart slipped from Naraku's hand and the demon's eyes began to dart around erratically. Before Kohaku had a chance to ask Kōga what was wrong, swirling winds hit them so forcefully that he was sure he would have been blown away if not for the wolf anchoring him.

It disappeared as fast as it had come, and the two of them shook off the leaves and twigs covering them before glancing back into the clearing.

Kohaku's mouth gaped open. "Naraku's gone!"

Kōga did a three-sixty, eyes searching everywhere. "You're right. I don't see him anywhere." He glanced at Kohaku. "Something must have happened."

"What could possibly happened to freak out Naraku that much?"

"I don't know," Kōga scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the stars, "but whatever it was..." He turned back to the yōkai-taijiya, but he was gone. "Kohaku?" Turning around, he saw the boy kneeling next to the crumbled body of Kagura.

Kohaku couldn't stop his eyes from growing wet at sight of Kagura's totally destroyed body, his hands shaking as he tried to figure out where he could possibly touch her without hurting her more.

"Ko...haku..."

"No, please don't talk." Kohaku took hold of her hand.

She grimaced as she breathed. "I...just saved...your life. I can say...all I want."

Kohaku swallowed hard. "Kagura..."

"Would you..." Kagura managed to barely point with her free hand. "Get my heart?"

Kohaku scrambled up quickly and gently picked up the still-glowing heart and dashed back to her side. "Here."

Kagura gave him an almost imperceptible shake of her head. "No, I want...to give it...to you."

"To me?"

"Yes." She smiled faintly. "I can...save you."

He stared at her in shock. "What?"

"She wants to give you her heart to keep you alive, instead of the jewel shard in your neck."

Kohaku whipped around to see Kōga standing behind him, looking down at Kagura. "Kōga," he glanced back at Kagura, "is that true?"

"Technically she would be possessing you, but I guess she's better than having Naraku possess you." Kōga crossed his arms over his chest. "The only way she can survive is to leave her body and go into yours. If she allows you to keep sovereignty over your body that would make her the exception rather than the rule."

Kohaku stared into her wavering crimson eyes. "Kagura..."

"I will...possess only...your heart." Her chest heaved as blood drooled from the corner of her mouth. "I want...to live...through your heart...and lend you...my power." Her free hand tipped toward her fan lying nearby. "I want to...free you...from this fate."

"You would do that for me?" Kohaku struggled to keep his voice from wavering.

"We...will be...saving...each other."

Kōga cleared his throat. "You sure you would be okay with that? Forever living with a yōkai inside you?" He snorted. "You come from a family of yōkai-taijiya."

Kohaku glanced down at the dimming glow of Kagura's heart, a yōkai heart, and wondered what his sister would say. Would she accept him with a yōkai keeping him alive? Would she understand that he only did it to make sure he’d be able to repent for the sins he’d committed?He took a deep breath and looked into Kagura's closing eyes.

He smiled.

"Alright, Kagura. Just tell me what I have to do."

She gave him a slight nod. "Place my heart...against yours...and I'll...do the rest."

Kohaku held her gaze for just a moment longer before he closed his eyes and raised the beating heart, placing it precisely over his own. His eyes snapped open as the red glow grew to a blaze and his own heart skipped a beat as a rush of tingling warmth spread like wildfire through his body. He began to pant as the power that followed electrified his limbs, lifting him up from the ground, inch by tiny inch.

Hanging suspended in the air, this newfound strength pulsating through his veins, Kohaku turned his face up to the night sky. His frame went rigid when he saw who was looking back at him, her nearly silent whisper carving its way into his heart.

"Kohaku," Sango's eyes welled, "what have you done?"

* * *

 

Kagome watched as Kikyō’s body was engulfed in a blazing blue light. The light vibrated the very air around her as it streaked toward her, entering her chest with the force of a battering ram. Kagome fell back to the floor and lay stunned by the sudden clarity assaulting her senses. In a bewildering flash of astonishment, Kagome recognized a recovery from a dullness she hadn't realized had claimed her when Kikyō had taken back a part of her soul.

Her limbs trembled for an entirely new reason; the power flooding her body was awesome in its strength. Sitting up, Kagome held up her hands and stared at them as if they belonged to some foreign entity. This is what her powers were supposed to feel like. She turned her palms away and concentrated on the shield she had created against Mōryōmaru and easily conjured it, an oblong partial barrier with energy crackling around its edges like a live wire.

"Holy cow," she blinked with wonder. "How the hell did I do that?"

Before, she had to concentrate and focus, but now it responded instinctually; all she had to do was think and it happened. Closing her hands into fists, the shield faded back into her extremities and settled inside the well deep within her body. There was no fight to rein it into submission either, it just went.

Kagome whipped her head to where Kikyō’s body had been and found only a fine-grained pile of dirt. Even the blood that had flowed from the priestess's wounds had reverted back into graveyard soil. She glanced down to where Kikyō’s blood had stained her jeans and found only a soft dusting of grit coating the denim. The prick of tears hit her eyes as she wiped off her pants and clenched her jaw, determination straightening her back.

"I promise, Kikyō. I  _will_  use it well and send Naraku back to the hell-hole he crawled out of."

A shrill scream pierced the night and sent Kagome jumping. She whirled her head around to where she had last seen Rin and only found the discarded scraps of the girl's kimono.

Kagome glanced back at Kikyō’s remains and pushed away the guilt that claimed her, wishing she had time to mourn her properly.

She scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward the gaping hole left in the wall from Mōryōmaru and Sesshōmaru’s dramatic exit. Enormous chunks of mortar and stone littered the ground around the void, and Kagome nearly broke her ankle in her haste to climb over it all. She pulled her twinging limb out of the surprise hole and pulled herself up onto another huge brick. Sweat coursed down the soft groove of her spine as she navigated her way outside.

The only way down was from the ledge was a large piece of stone set against the wall and Kagome scowled.

Steeling herself, Kagome leapt off and had to roll when pain bolted up through her sprained ankle to collapse her knees. Dirt plastered against the sweat-moistened skin of her belly and back as she used her hands to stop, her damaged wrist protesting with a dull throb. Ignoring all the complaints of her body, Kagome focused her senses to locate the others she knew to be outside.

The dark blanket of night was illuminated by the lightning that continued to scorch the sky, but Kagome didn't need any help in locating the roiling aura of Inuyasha's elder brother. Sesshōmaru was crouched low to the ground as he grappled with Mōryōmaru’s dragon jaws, which were locked tight around the blade of Tokijin. She didn't need to see the dai-yōkai to know he was struggling against the weight crushing him. She could feel the barrier stripping his aura of its strength, and worry began to worm into her mind as Mōryōmaru continued to bear down on him.

Kagome hopped forward and saw Sesshōmaru’s arm was trembling as he held off the beast, the only outward sign of the barrier's hindrance. Kagome knew for a fact that things were worse than they seemed because he would never normally let himself get into a situation like this. She wished she could help him, but she was afraid he would turn on her. She knew that his reaction would be nowhere near as lenient as Inuyasha's.

One yōkai trying to kill her was more than enough.

Another blood-curdling scream echoed through the clearing and Kagome reluctantly tore her eyes away from Sesshōmaru. At first she couldn't see anything in the area from where the scream had come, but Rin's silk kimono shimmered in the dark from the flashes of lightning. She was staggering backward, clutching the bloody sleeve of her left arm as she went. Akago materialized from out of the gloom behind her, stalking her with the wakizashi that she was so attached to.

Kagome's heart rate accelerated as she watched Rin fall, landing with a yelp onto her wounded limb. Akago took the opportunity to pounce, moving up beside her to stomp down on her pelvis. She tried to curl away from the foot grinding into her abdomen, but the yōkai-child was steadfast. He laughed as she cried out and lifted the short sword with both hands gripping the hilt as if to pierce her chest.

Kagome started toward them in a shuffling run, her ankle screaming with each hurried step. She knew she wasn't going to get there in time and desperately searched for a weapon. Her darting brown eyes fell on a grapefruit-sized rock ahead, and she grabbed it as she hobbled past. Coming to an awkward halt, she risked leaning on her weakened right ankle and lifted her opposite knee to take a huge step forward. She pushed a good dose of her energy into the rock and put all her weight into twisting her hips.

The throw was one that would make any professional pitcher proud, the rock sailing true to beam Akago in the temple. Not only did the rock knock him back, but the power she had infused with it burned the skin on the left side of his face and singed off most of his soft lavender hair.

"Rin!" Kagome dropped to her knees beside the girl. "Rin, are you alright?"

The willowy girl pushed herself up and nodded. "Yes."

"How's your arm?"

She glanced at it dismissively. "It's nothing. What did you do to him?"

Kagome pried Rin's hand away from her lacerated arm and tore off the sleeve to tie around the wound. "I hit him with a rock."

"Really?" Her caramel-colored eyes blinked with wonder. "How did you do all that with a rock?"

"I'm still-"

"Yes," a hissing voice cut off Kagome's response, "how did you?"

Kagome wrapped her arms around Rin's shoulders and pulled her close, glaring at the maimed demon boy that emerged from the shadows. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

His dead eyes narrowed as he stared, assessing her. "There's something different about you. It's as if..." Those eyes shot wide with terror. "No! It can't be!"

"What's the matter, Akago?" She smiled. "Wrong girl die first?"

"Curse that wretched corpse!" His face was livid with rage. "Father was a fool to make a deal with that bitch!"

Kagome let go of Rin and stood up. "Naraku dug his own grave and now I'm going to put him in it." She started toward him, her ankle putting a hitch in her step that seriously dampened the intimidating effect she was shooting for. "You're lucky enough to get to join him there."

Akago panicked, back-pedaling and shouting. "Mōryōmaru!" He tripped and nearly fell. "Mōryōmaru, stop playing with that cur and kill her!"

She continued to advance on him. "He's not coming to your rescue, Akago." Kagome held her arms out to her sides to form a V with her body and snapped her fingers. Flames of swirling lilac energy ignited in her palms. "I'm going to kill two birds with one stone." She gave him a wink. "You and Naraku being the birds, of course."

He looked around wildly for an escape. "You know that his heart resides in me?"

"I've known for quite some time that if I got you, I'd get you both."

When he realized there was nowhere for him to go, he cut his pale eyes back to her. "Nothing I say is going to stop you, is it?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nope." She followed him up the edge of the woods, backing him up against a tree. "Since you seem to love hearing yourself talk, have any last words?"

Akago nearly flattened himself against the tree's trunk, a pouting glare on his face. "This isn't the end, Kagome."

She flared the power at her fingertips. "It is for you."

Gritting her teeth, Kagome threw her hands out in front of her and released the reins on her power. The energy blazed from her limbs like a blowtorch and clawed its way toward Akago. She stared hard into his eyes as he watched it approach, finding it odd that the fear was no longer clutching his mind. Just as the purifying power reached him, Akago grinned maniacally and jerked something out from behind his back.

The energy slammed into him, but instead of swallowing him, it seemed to just flow through him. Kagome pushed more power toward him in a blazing display of light, determined to smother him. The distinct sound of breaking glass wafted into her ears and Kagome instantly stemmed the flow of power. She knew exactly what he had done before she saw the cracked mirror in his grasp and hated that she'd been tricked again.

Akago lifted the mirror and watched a piece of glass fall from the frame. "Oops."

Kagome couldn't remember what had become of Kanna when Sesshōmaru steam-rolled his way into the fortress, but it hardly mattered now. She trembled with rage as she gazed at the yōkai child. "You made me kill her!"

"More or less." He considered the looking glass critically. "What does it matter to you anyway?" He glanced at her from over the rim of the frame. "She was one of us, remember?"

"My fight was with you!"

"So upset..." He shook his head with exasperation and held out his right hand. "I guess I could let you have your way..."

The grass rustled to her left and when Kagome swung her eyes to look, Kanna was standing there. Nothing seemed amiss with a quick glance, but when she squinted through the dark, Kagome could see the damage she had inflicted. With her soul attached to the mirror, Kanna's face reflected the shattered glass in the frame. Fine cracks spider-webbed across her pale countenance and along the skin of her limbs.

Kagome put a hand to her mouth. "Your face..."

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

She whirled on the boy. "You truly are twisted if you'll kill your own comrades."

He shrugged. "They are all disposable."

"You make me sick."

"Try telling me something I  _don't_ know."

He tossed the mirror toward her and Kagome hopped forward to catch it before it hit the ground. When she looked up, Akago was nowhere to be found.

She glanced down at the destroyed mirror and ran her fingers along the frame, speaking softly. "Why did you give this to him?"

Kanna's voice was still persistently monotone. "I was ordered to."

"You would willingly sacrifice yourself for them?" The idea seemed unfathomable to her.

"I was created to obey Naraku's will." Kanna stared at her serenely. "My death would have come either way." She gestured to the mirror by lifting a limp hand. "Now you must do your duty as I have done mine."

Kagome took a deep, shuddering breath and bowed her head. There was no arguing because what Kanna had said was true. It pained her that she had to kill the vacant girl; she had never really thought of Kanna as a threat. She closed her eyes as she pushed the thoughts away and focused her power on the object in her hands. Kagome didn't interrupt the flow of energy until she was absolutely sure the deed had been done.

When she finally opened her eyes, the mirror's frame had cracked in two, and there was nothing left of Kanna but shards of glittering glass on the ground.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: blood and gore

_“The heart can think of no devotion / Greater to being shore to the ocean- / Holding the curve of one position, / Counting in endless repetition.” – Robert Frost_  

* * *

 

Pain was not something he was intimately familiar with, having crossed paths with it only a few moments in his extended lifetime. The majority of those interludes had come at the hands of his younger sibling, Inuyasha, but he could deal with the offensive nature of such a fact knowing that it was his sire's blood that made the inu-hanyō strong enough to make him yield.

Sesshōmaru narrowed his eyes at the creature bearing down on him and felt disgust burn black within him at the surety with which the inferior thing managed to inflict damage to his body by the mere advantage of the barrier.

Energy arched of the ground in jagged ribbons that crackled as they came into contact with the dai-yōkai's feet, skittering up along his tall body to snap off the end of the long blade held fast in his grip. Pushing up against the enormous jaws clutching Tokijin, Sesshōmaru gritted his teeth and snarled in frustration. The only reason this had gone on this long was because of his father's ridiculous barrier; he should be dispatching this filth with ease.

His yōki was almost completely sapped by the strength of the impediment his father left behind, and it felt as if an unimaginable weight was resting upon his frame. His back ached under the strain to keep his shoulders from slumping, and his raging aura created a small tornado of soil around him. The nerves around his right eye twitched uncontrollably as he forced his weight upward and jerked the sword down.

The blade groaned as it slid through Mōryōmaru’s teeth, sparks and blood splashing to the ground as Tokijin was freed. The creature howled in discomfort while Sesshōmaru reassessed his tactics, his lone arm throbbing with fatigue as his sword's tip scraped the gravelly dirt under his feet. Frustration ran rampant on his face as he stared down the beast before him, unable to fight at his usual skill on the very land he had belonged to from birth.

Curse his father and his inane desire for that half-breed sibling of his to be family. If he thought he could force his hand, his long dead father was seriously mistaken – he going to make sure that insolent whelp bled when he saw him next.

Sesshōmaru tightened his grip on Tokijin's hilt and pulled the blade up, leveling it at Mōryōmaru’s snarling dragon-like façade. The muscles along his jaws flexed furiously as he channeled his energy through the enormous blade, his mind no longer clouded by thoughts of his relatives and beckoned the beast before him with a turn on his wrist. The creature barreled toward him, surprisingly swift in spite of his size, as Sesshōmaru raised his arm to strike and a brilliant azure glow engulfed his blade.

" _Sōryūha_!"

Energy exploded up from the earth below his feet, spiraling into the air around him in the sleek shape of a dragon. Mōryōmaru remained undaunted by the impressive display, colliding head-on with the raging yōki and charging through it with what looked to be only superficial blemishes.

Sesshōmaru snarled in displeasure as his most impressive attack was so easily brushed aside and leapt out of the reach of the beast's claws. Forced to roll, the dai-yōkai struggled to his feet and had only a fraction of a second to react as the Mōryōmaru came at him again. Mirroring the lifted attack, Sesshōmaru brought Tokijin down against the incoming fist with all the strength he could muster.

" _Sōryūha!_ "

The force of the collision was deafening in its violence as cerulean energy splintering outward to carve out huge chunks of earth. It was then that the inu-yōkai felt his energy falter under the stress of the barrier. There was a resounding clap of sound as Tokijin shattered into hundreds of razor-like shards, having finally succumbed to the intensity of Mōryōmaru’s screaming aura and was destroyed.

Sesshōmaru’s eyes widened with surprise. Robbed of nearly all his power, he was too fatigued to avoid the unexpected backlash. It boggled the mind to be weakened to such an extent and by such an inferior opponent. He could only blink with complete disbelief as the glittering slivers of his former sword careened into his flesh. The incredibly strong shrapnel slashed his lone arm to the bone before continuing its journey through his torso. Pain bloomed throughout his body like a raging wildfire, deleting any and all sensation with the intensity of its destruction. His haori shredded, and the fur was torn from his stole as the power from the crash left him staggering, blood pulsing from his wounds to splatter in pools on the ground.

Why?

Shutting his eyes, the dai-yōkai blocked out the bizarre feeling of being a spectator to his own defeat. It was beyond humbling, bordering on humiliation, to be bested so decisively on the land of his sire, and it was even more apparent that his father still didn't approve of him from the grave.

Why was he still being punished for what he had merely been taught to believe as a pup?

His ears twitched as he felt his opponent move, his body howling with discomfort as he threw all of his physical strength into a right hook that sprayed blood when it connected with Mōryōmaru’s jaw. Outraged, the shape-shifting beast responded instantly with a fist of his own, pummeling the inu-yōkai into the dirt. Sesshōmaru inhaled a pain-riddled breath and pulled together the dregs of his energy, forming his poison-laced whip and snapping it around Mōryōmaru’s departing wrist.

The creature wailed with pain, jerking Sesshōmaru to his feet as he wrenched back on his arm. Holding fast, the dai-yōkai swiftly relieved Tensaiga from its scabbard and swung with one fluid motion.

" _Sōry-_ "

An enormous blast of miasma-laden energy slammed into him before he could release his attack, battering him back and snapping his whip's hold on Mōryōmaru’s wrist. Sesshōmaru could feel his body succumbing and used the little strength he could muster to tighten his grip on Tensaiga. Grunting against the pressure, he could see the blade glow blue as it shielded him from the worst of the blow. When it finally passed, he was left panting and staggering on his feet.

Cracking open his burning eyes, he registered movement to his left, but his reaction was too slow as Mōryōmaru’s newly-formed and massive tail whipped around and slammed into the left side of his ribcage. The force of the hit immediately crushed his ribs and sent him sailing toward the nearby cliff-side.

Why did he find only more questions when he tried to understand his father’s intentions?

He received no answer from his dead sire as he collided with the earth, bones shattering as the ground crumbled inward around his body and left him in darkness. Chest aching, he allowed his exhausted limbs to settle in the jagged glove of rock that held him and finally closed his burning eyes, a faint scream echoing within his mind.

* * *

 

Rin swung unsure eyes from Kagome's back as she chased the child-yōkai, and over to the one person that had caused her so much turmoil, and yet so much happiness. "Sesshōmaru..."

Kagome may have been successful in destroying Akago's possessive aura, but an impenetrable fog had clung to her mind. It left her bewildered and clumsy, unable to clear her thoughts of the darkness that persisted there. She had been terrified that it was a permanent side effect of Akago's bite, but it was as if a vicious wind had blown away the fog when those steel doors had been obliterated.

It was in that moment she felt the overpowering clarity, like a barren grassland plagued by drought in the sudden presence of a downpour. It was a realization that something crucial to her being had finally been returned, but she was confused as to what it was until she heard his voice.

_"Where is she?"_

_Rin's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice, heart thudding heavily against her breast._ _Had he come for her?_

_"Where is she?"_

_His tone was harsh, but even if the others couldn't hear it, Rin heard the desperate undertone in his words. She tried to pull her legs up under herself to stand, but her limbs wouldn't obey._   _Confused, her honey-brown eyes darted around in search for the reason why and only saw Inuyasha's companion, Kagome, standing before her._

_"Rin's behind me, Sesshōmaru."_

_Why couldn’t she get up?_   _Panic began to sink its teeth into her bones._ _What was holding her back?_

_Her Lord's voice seemed relieved. "Go. Now."_

_Kagome spun around, reaching out and snatching her kimono in her grasp. Rin felt her limp body being pulled up and wanted to scream in protest if only her voice would do as it was told._

_Stop!_

_Inuyasha's priestess failed to hear her pleading thoughts and she could only watch as she was dragged away from him._

Rin inhaled deeply as she took in the sight of the dai-yōkai now, openly snarling as he battled the bizarre creature Akago called Mōryōmaru. Her lips frowned as she noted how little he had changed in the past five years, as if she was expecting him to have experienced some sort physical detriment by having left her behind.

He had sounded like he had been worried about her, but did he only feel that way when some part of Naraku is trying to kill her?Rin recalled those long five years she spent in that shabby village and his persistent absence from her life. Did he not ache for her even a fraction of how much she had ached for him?

Dragging her eyes away to keep from watching him struggle, Rin spied the wakizashi she had stolen from the yōkai-taijiya while possessed. She reached out tentatively and grasped the hilt, lifting it from the sandy soil and catching the reflection of the crescent moon on the blade – just like the one on his forehead.

It still perplexed her that her body had remained unmoving when all she had wanted to do was dash into the safety of his embrace. None of the injuries Akago had inflicted upon her were serious enough to leave her incapable of standing, and she had left the security of that village with the intention of finding him. When her opportunity had finally presented itself, something of her heart's own making had kept her still.

Pushing to her feet, Rin ignored the throb of the hip Akago had tried to crush and hobbled closer to the warring yōkai. Even as she surveyed her childhood hero's strength waver erratically, she knew he would find a way to defeat his opponent, even with the odds so thoroughly stacked against him.

If there was anything that Sesshōmaru had proven to her in their time together, it was that he was a masterful fighter. Death was inevitable if one was to doubt his power. Her dark brows furrowed as she watched Sesshōmaru release Tokijin from Mōryōmaru’s dragon jaws, and she clutched her shredded kimono together with her sword-less hand. Her heart lurched as the inu-prince wearily lifted his sword, eyes pained despite their focus.

His deep, rich voice called out in reply as he launched his attack at Mōryōmaru, sending his stunning blue yōki forth in a dazzling display. Tears and sand stung her eyes as she braced against the swirling wind the battle created and whispered his name. "Lord Sesshōmaru..."

Everything the enigmatic inu-yōkai did, he did for a reason and Rin's body shuddered with the implications that knowledge brought. There must have something that kept him from coming to her, no matter how strongly she had yearned for him. He had resisted her like he never had before and it had managed to do what she thought was an impossibility: instill her heart with doubt.

She knew that Sesshōmaru perceived almost everything and everyone with a deadly seriousness, and she had always thought of herself as the most important figure in his life. Perhaps she was simply spoiled by how highly he had seemed to value her that she had just assumed that she would remain that way forever; she had never even contemplated the idea of anything or anyone else being a higher priority.

Rin looked on as the man she held with so much esteem was forced onto the defensive, once again unleashing his most powerful attack under the stress of the barrier working against him. It felt like time had slowed as she continued to watch the conflict before her unfold and could only wish she had found him under different circumstances.

She couldn't bring herself to retain the anger she had once felt against him for not coming to her aid; she had never been a vengeful person, and although she could logically comprehend that there was likely a justification for his actions, she was still able to be heartbroken that his promise of safety in that village had been broken because, to her, nowhere was safe without him. Having lived as long as he had, she knew he was well aware of the nature of humans and how easily they turned against their own.

It was this broken promise that had sent her to find him, to learn why he hadn't made sure it remained intact by giving her to people more like Inuyasha's friends, people with whom she held confidence. It was this poor choice that led her to doubt him and shatter the trust she felt so strongly for him.

Rin followed the swing of Sesshōmaru’s Tokijin and could only leave her confused musings behind as she witnessed with an increasing dread the faltering of the sword. The explosion of energy knocked her back, and Rin let go of her kimono to stop herself from being sent sailing by kneeling on the ground. She snapped her eyes up once it had passed and felt as if the air had been snatched from her lungs when she realized what she was seeing.

"Sess...Sesshōmaru..." The blood marring his regal armor and glimmering on Mokomoko seemed to have no end as it drained from his mutilated arm – an arm that still clutched the hilt of the demolished blade in his hand. Rin blinked through the sudden blurring of her vision, utterly shocked to see him in a state she never conceived possible. "Oh, gods..."

Oblivious to the severity of his wounds, the dai-yōkai continued to fight undeterred by the fact his surrounding were being painted by his blood. Rin sobbed helplessly as he was advanced upon without mercy, desperately wishing he would see reason and flee, all the while knowing he was incapable of such a feat.

Clenching the wakizashi painfully in her grip, she absorbed the sight of him being careened brutally into the ground. It didn't matter what she wanted to interrogate him for if he didn't live long enough for her to even look him in the eye and make him acknowledge her existence. All of her complaints seemed petty and insignificant when her worries were simplified down to black and white: life and death. She would have nothing if he were to fall in the line of battle.

"Lord Sesshōmaru!"

* * *

 

"Ko...Kohaku..."

Sango dug her fingers deeper into Kirara's fur, vainly trying to comprehend the scene unfolding below her. It was as if she subconsciously refused to understand the drastic measures her brother had gone to in order to gain the upper hand on Naraku. She had never once thought that his answer was to permanently join forces with a yōkai, especially one such as Kagura.

"Sister," Kohaku turned to face her, "I thought I told you not to follow me."

Annoyed, Sango clenched her jaw and pushed her confusion aside. "You didn't want me to interfere, but you said nothing of following you." She tapped Kirara's shoulder to send the nekomata to the ground. "Stop trying to divert the direction this conversation is going to go."

Miroku, stoically accessing the situation, addressed both the young yōkai-taijiya and the ōkami-yōkai trying to become invisible in the neighboring shrubbery. "Where is Naraku?"

Kohaku glanced at his sister's husband and gestured the broken body that lay near his feet. "He is gone now, but not without missing the opportunity for death and destruction."

"How is it that the two managed to survive?"

"That was Kōga's doing."

The wolf seemed tense under the weight of the eyes suddenly falling on him, holding up his hands. "I knew he had a jewel shard, so I made sure Naraku couldn't get to him." His eyes turned to Kagura's fallen flesh. "I only had enough time to protect one."

Sango watched the wolf prince's brilliant blue eyes darken as he replayed in his mind what looked to be a most brutal attack on a yōkai, even one he had despised more than any other. It seemed that despite the hate, even Kōga knew that Naraku had gone too far with Kagura. Her final act of defiance had managed change his opinion of her character, and she could tell that as much as he wanted to continue loathing her, he was unable to do so.

Swinging her left leg over Kirara's shoulders, Sango caught Kōga's eye and sent him a subtle nod of thanks as she strode toward Kohaku. "I hope you can understand that while I, at one time, wanted Kagura's death, I find no satisfaction now that it has come to pass." She took a deep breath and reached out to grasp her brother's shoulder. "I am sorry, Kohaku."

He gently pressed a hand over the recently renewed beating of his heart. "We were willing to use any means necessary, even if it meant giving up our lives. Life, in and of itself, was pointless if it was spent each and every day without hope."

"Kohaku,"

He turned his frustrated brown eyes in her direction at the sound of his murmured name. "I told that I don't want any of your pity. Save it for someone who is truly deserving of it."

"Why, Kohaku?" Her voice was an almost inaudible whisper. "Why must you make it so hard?"

"Sister, I..." He sighed. "I made a pact with Kagura that we would find a way to regain our freedom from Naraku by any means necessary."

Fury roared through her. "Allowing another demon to possess you is the answer? Naraku's taint will be even harder to resist now!"

The freckle-faced boy looked up at her and staunchly did his best to hide the feeling of disappointment that was welling within him under her confused gaze. "Sister, I saw a chance of gaining leverage on Naraku and I wasn't about to pass it up. I have to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to me if I'm to ever avenge those souls that died by my hands."

She could see the emotion through his words, the fear that he had further disgraced his family name and the shame that he was reduced to needing a yōkai's power to defeat his enemy. She wanted to be angry with him, but Miroku's supportive hand on her back had her recalling the words he spoken to her before, that Naraku was to blame, not Kohaku.

Her rage deflated, Sango could only exhale wearily. "I understand."

His brow pinched together in confusion. "Sister?

"I'm done trying to tell you what to do and always being a tornado of emotions when you don't listen to me." She turned her attention to the bandage protecting the gash on her husband's forehead, the words coming forth easier now. "All I need to do is trust you to do your part," she ignored Miroku's attempts to deter her, "and I need you to trust me to do mine."

Kohaku's features tightened in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you that this is my fight? You don't need to be anywhere near Naraku." His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. "You should go home where you'll be safe."

Sango couldn't help but smile; he sounded just like their father when they were young. "I'm sorry, Kohaku. I can't do that." She pulled away from Miroku and strode toward him, dropping down to her knees so she was able to look into his down-turned face. "This is my fight too."

"Sister-"

"No, Kohaku." Her snapping response had his eyes widening in disbelief and she hated that she was forced to use such a reprimanding tone to her only brother. "You may want vengeance for the acts you were forced to commit, but I want to kill Naraku because he murdered my family and used you as the tool to do it." She ignored the tremble of pain that flashed through his eyes and continued. "I want him dead because he's killing any chance of a future family for me."

Kohaku stole a glance at the silent monk standing only a few feet away, remembering the curse upon him. It had never really occurred to him that someone else's life was being held hostage by Naraku, but without the fiend's death, Miroku would be facing his end as well.

The monk in question came to stand beside them, his unbound hand sliding affectionately down the tail of his wife's pulled back hair. "While I know my opinion may be unwarranted, I believe the two of you have reached a stalemate."

The siblings glanced up at him and then back to one another, shy grins of amusement slowly spreading across their shared features. Sango lifted the hand on her uninjured side and grasped Miroku's as she straightened up. "So it seems."

Kohaku smiled up at her, unable to deny the happiness at seeing her and knowing that she did not despise him. It stirred a hope inside him that the future was filled with something other than darkness. "Sister?"

"Hmm?"

He inhaled a nervous breath. "Do you have hope for the future?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"I never really allowed myself to believe that anything would change for the better unless I made it possible, so that way I wouldn't be disappointed."

"Kohaku," Sango reached out and rested her hand on his head, "hope is the one thing that keeps me strong in this fight. The belief that there's a better tomorrow is what pushes me forward every day." She moved her hand so see could look into his eyes. "I have hope because I'm not alone in my struggle. My friends are with me until the end and we are in this war together."

She smiled brightly at him. "That's why I have hope, Kohaku. You should have hope because you aren't alone." She gestured to those around them. "You have Miroku, Kirara, Shippō, and even Kōga, along with me to stand with you. If Inuyasha and Kagome were here with us, they would be in agreement too."

Kohaku found himself suddenly struggling to control his emotions, his eyes burning as they held her steadfast gaze. "Sister..." His voice was a strained whisper. "I...I...want to be a family again." He dropped his eyes to hide his tears. "So badly..."

"Oh, Kohaku." Sango dropped to her knees once again and pulled him against her in a fierce hug, tears spilling unchecked from her eyes as her heart soared. "I want that too."

Miroku decided to give them their privacy and quietly made his way over to where Kōga sat cross-legged on the ground. He cleared his throat against the uncomfortable weight in the air. "So, how is it that the two of you managed to avoid Naraku's wrath?"

Kōga cracked open a lone eye to glance up at the monk, relieved at the chance to turn his attention away from the intimate reunion. "By the skin of our teeth." He shut his eye. "Either we're the luckiest fools in the world, or Fate decided to throw her opinion into the situation."

Miroku's brow furrowed with confusion. "Are you saying something stopped him?"

Kōga nodded slowly. "Yeah. After I grabbed the kid, he went after Kagura to find out where the boy had gone. One minute he was torturing her to death and the next he was gone, disappearing into thin air. The only reason Kagura survived long enough to give her heart to Kohaku was because something else came up, but whatever it was, it was serious."

"How so?"

Kōga shuddered. "The look on his face. As much as it would seem satisfying to see, the look of panic on his face terrified even me."

Miroku was silent a moment before speaking. "Perhaps Inuyasha has been successful in dealing him a powerful blow. He was battling Akago, I believe, the last time I saw him."

"And what makes that so special?" Kōga huffed.

"Ah, I wasn't sure if you knew."

"Knew what?" Kōga looked up at the monk intently.

"Akago possesses Naraku's heart."

Kōga blinked and looked away, staring at the ground in thought. "That sounds like a great theory, but-"

Miroku waited a moment for him to finish, but the rest of the wolf's thought never came. "But what, Kōga?" He looked down at the ōkami-yōkai and found him as still as death, eyes trained on the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. "Kōga?"

The wolf remained unmoving. "We aren't alone."

Miroku's grip tightened on his Shakujō apprehensively. "Friend or foe?"

"Not sure." Kōga slipped to his feet silently. "Whoever they are, they're masking their scent with something."

The two men feigned conversation as they slowly, but surely made their way across the clearing to where the eavesdropper was hidden. At Miroku's questioning look, Kōga nodded that the intruder was indeed still hiding in the underbrush. The monk attempted to inquire as to how to go about catching their subject when the wolf prince launched himself directly into the woods before a word could escape his lips. The abruptness of the maneuver caught the attention of the siblings and Sango came up beside him with her eyebrow raised in question. Miroku merely shrugged as the trio waited for the snarling to cease.

They didn't have to wait long. A tumbling ball of limbs, flashing red and black, came bursting from the bushes and spilled out into the clearing in a cloud of dust.

Sango blinked curiously as she watched Kōga physically overpower and expertly pin the stranger in question beneath his body. "Miroku, I know who that is."

Her husband nodded. "I do too."

Kōga growled angrily as he instinctively gripped the throat of his victim, rage blanketing his vision. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you now."

"K-Kōga," the strained voice that met his ears was feminine and familiar. "P-Please, Kōga. Y-you're hurting me."

The ōkami-yōkai instantly ceased his snarling and drew back his claws, blinking in shock. "Ayame?"

She rubbed at her sore neck and frowned up at him. "That's no way to treat your future wife, you know."

Kōga's shock was short-lived as a scowl settled over his features. "That's what you get for slinking around in the bushes and masking your scent."

She sagged into the dirt, her vibrant green eyes sad. "I've been looking for you for weeks, Kōga. I covered my scent because I didn't want any unnecessary attention from the other tribes because I'm supposed to be secluded in the mountains."

A low rumble started in his chest. "You're there for a reason, Ayame."

Ayame sighed. "Only because of your big mouth. If you hadn't told the Elder about Naraku, I would have never become a prisoner of my own people." She glared at him. "Can I get up now?"

When he glanced down and realized he was straddling her hips in a very personal way, Kōga moved faster than a lightning strike. Ayame rolled her eyes and stood up, dusting off her pristine white pelts as she stared at his broad back. "Don't worry, Kōga. I'm not going pester you with promises of the past."

He whirled around to face her. "Then what are you doing here?"

She ran an unsure hand over her ginger pig-tails and sighed. "I came to tell you that the Elder has died."

Silence descended on the clearing and the only one brave enough to break it was the monk. "You have our condolences, Ayame."

The princess gifted them with a brilliant smile. "Thank you. I was very close with my grandfather."

"Your father allowed you to leave your sanctuary with this news?"

Her green eyes twinkled somberly. "No, my father has been gone for many, many years. I am the next in line to take over leadership of the Northern wolf tribe. As the new leader, I can do as I please and I left to find Kōga."

"Why, Ayame? I'm not going to run back and marry you now."

"Kōga!"

Ayame absorbed the sting of that barb and sighed, meeting the eyes of the outraged yōkai-taijiya. "Please do not trouble yourself with his harsh nature."

Sango glared at Kōga. "He's being downright cruel."

"While that may trouble me personally, as I said, that is the not the reason I sought him out."

The blue-eyed wolf growled. "Then why?"

"Naraku's presence has not only affected your tribe, Kōga, but all of the wolf tribes spread throughout the land. As I have been the only female born to a noble in centuries, it is my duty to assume the role of Alpha."

"The Alpha?" Kōga lifted a skeptical brow.

"Yes, the Alpha. You know that my tribe ranks the highest and when a female come into power, she assumes leadership over all the other tribes. Not only does my duty concern the wolves of my clan, but the wolves of all clans. As my first decision as Alpha, I felt it was in our shared interest to aid you, Kōga, the most powerful warrior of our race, in your fight against Naraku."

Kōga stalked up to her and glared down into her unyielding face. "I am not letting you anywhere near him."

She smiled shyly at him, heart racing in her chest with him so near. "While I am one of the most powerful of my bloodline, I am no match for you, let alone Naraku. I never intended to leave my people without a leader."

"How exactly do you plan to aid me?"

Ayame ignored the contempt in his voice and lifted a delicate hand to press reverently against the breastplate of his armor, just above his heart. "I am granting you the weapon of our ancestors," she looked up admirably into his raging blue eyes, "the Goraishi."

* * *

 

The shaking of the earth beneath her feet finally succeeded in snapping Kagome's attention away from the shimmering remains of Kanna, and she only caught a fleeting glimpse of whatever had been smashed into the cliffside overlooking Inu no Taishō's fortress. She canted her head to left as if her eyes had deceived her.

Was that...Sesshōmaru?

Kagome dropped the broken mirror from her hands and shuffled the few feet it took to get out of the trees, disbelief tensing her body. She continued moving forward until she got to a point in the yard where she could clearly see the rock face. A startled gasp slipped out of her lips as her eyes noticed the tail of Sesshōmaru’s stole peeking out of a massive hole in the wall of earth.

Shit.

An anguished scream sent a knife of panic through Kagome's heart and she finally noticed the young woman dashing toward the fallen inu-yōkai. The priestess began moving as well, watching with dread as the one responsible for Sesshōmaru’s current condition stalked after his new target.

"Rin!" Kagome cursed her throbbing ankle, knowing she wasn't going to get to either of them in time to help. "Rin! Look out!"

Her cries befell deaf ears as she watched Rin bravely dart between the rubble and begin crawling in after Sesshōmaru. Mōryōmaru gave a few beats of his enormous wings and closed the distance between them swiftly, and Kagome knew she had to do something now or Rin would be dead within seconds.

Her huge brown eyes swung about her surroundings, desperately searching for something she could use to deter the beast. An odd glint in the moonlight caught her eye and she hobbled closer to the object half hidden in the dirt to her right. Dragging her fingers through the smooth sand, her hand took hold of something solid and lifted it up.

The hilt in her grasp was not that of a traditional katana, but of a more western design with a rectangular guard. The grip was wrapped in supple red leather and the pommel was in the shape of a brass disk with a leather tassel threaded through the disk's center. The rest of the sword was gone with the exception of only a couple inches of the double-edge blade above the guard. Her gaze fixated on the dark stains on the hilt and swallowed, knowing it was beyond stupid to believe they were anything other than blood.

She knew this sword. Kagome chewed her lip, feeling none of the weapon's supposed evil aura. This was Tokijin's hilt. She looked toward the crater and felt her stomach drop – if what was left of Tokijin was here, then…

Shaking her head, Kagome pushed away her dire thoughts and reminded herself of the task at hand. Mōryōmaru had reached the cliffside, but Rin was nowhere to be seen and Kagome hoped she had slipped far enough in to avoid the creature's reach. The monster seemed to have the same thought and began pounding the surrounding rock in an attempt to crush her.

"Hey!" Kagome hopped forward and waved her arms to catch his attention. "Hey, ugly!"

Mōryōmaru seemed oblivious and Kagome knew it was now or never. If she was ever going to help Rin or Sesshōmaru, she had to make a distraction of herself.

Shifting her weight as she had earlier with Akago, Kagome put all her strength into hurling Tokijin's hilt at the beast. The energy she had infused within it gave the spinning weapon a pale violet glow. Her aim proved to be just as true, the small bit of blade sinking into the flesh of Mōryōmaru’s upper back as her purifying aura flared on contact. Mōryōmaru roared and spun, desperately trying to reach the offending object. He succeeded on the third try and yanked the hilt free with a snarl, raging eyes turning toward the culprit in split second.

Kagome took in the sight of his open jaws, those of a Chinese dragon, with dozens of razor sharp teeth, and struggled to stop her knees from giving out. Now that she had his full attention, the part-man, part-dragon thing storming toward her was downright terrifying. His howling cry sent her heart into overdrive and Kagome suddenly realized she had no idea what she was going to do next.

Kagome clenched a fist. She hadn't come this far to falter now; she’d made a promise to Kikyō to see this through and she wasn’t about to give up.

Pivoting on her heel, the priestess put the many complaints of her body on mute and forced herself into motion. Kagome growled past the stabbing pain in her ankle until the limb went numb and ran. Setting her sights on the fortress ahead, Kagome refused to look back despite the raised hair on the back of her neck that told her she was dead if she stopped.

She kept her pace even as the bricks and mortar cluttered her path, using her momentum to propel herself up the pile. Her muscles burned agonizingly as she scrambled over the treacherous terrain, a ray of hope welling inside her chest as she successfully made her way into the building.

A thunderous crash broke her vow to not look back, her eyes whirling in time to see Mōryōmaru’s tail come sailing toward her. The pile of brick joined in the fun, launching up from the force of the blow and sending her along with it. Arms flailing, Kagome did her best to avoid bracing for the impact with the floor and only partial achieved her goal.

Her left side took the brunt of the hit, pain searing through her body as she slid along the smooth stone floor. Smaller chunks of mortar pelted her as they fell, cutting into her already bruised skin and knocking her senseless. Black crept into the outskirts of her vision when she finally came to a stop against something equally unyielding and Kagome struggled to stay conscious. She vaguely registered the sound of Mōryōmaru’s howling as she watched him approach, the bleakness of defeat staring her in the face.

Salty tears blurred her already darkened vision, obscuring the outline of the misshapen beast before her with her frustration.

Mōryōmaru bent over her, his breath hot in her face as he snarled. Instinct drove her to move, to do anything she could to keep from just lying still and accepting death. Pulling her aching arms to sit up, her right elbow brushed something smooth and her spinning vision registered the shape of a bow. Blinking in an attempt to clear her sight, Kagome gingerly took hold of the smooth wooden weapon. The priestess realized with a jolt that she was holding the bow that Kikyō had dropped when defending her.

Kagome's grip tightened with a renewed resolve. She may have thought she’d failed, but Kikyō was helping her now. Her vision began to clear as she glared up at Mōryōmaru, left with more than Kikyō had thought.

Kagome felt hot spittle drip onto her skin from the beast's mouth and jerked the bow up with irritation, jabbing the stave into the soft underside of his lower jaw. Mōryōmaru leapt back in an instant, clawing at his face as his piercing cries echoed through the fortress. Kagome took the opportunity to roll away, pulling herself into a crouch as she pulled the lone arrow left from Kikyō’s nearby quiver.

Mōryōmaru quickly recovered from the shock and flared his wings, screaming at her in an incensed rage.

"You are really starting to annoy me, you know." Kagome notched the arrow and drew back on the string, umber eyes narrowed with determination. "I think it's time you shut the hell up."

Loosening the  _Hama no Ya_ , Kagome watched with satisfaction as it sailed straight into Mōryōmaru’s left breast and blazed to life.

She listened to his wails of pain and allowed herself a moment to relax now that Mōryōmaru had been dealt with, weary eyes slipping shut. Her body threatened to collapse if she lingered much longer and Kagome sighed as she straightened her shoulders, preparing to go back out and see to Sesshōmaru and Rin. Taking a deep breath, Kagome opened her eyes and turned toward the gaping hole in the wall, glad to see that the debris was now cleared from the ground.

Just as she took her first step, her brain caught up with her vision and she froze. Kagome realized that the enormous creature that she had just supposedly purified was, indeed, still standing where she had shot him. Her mahogany eyes widened with confusion and she was rooted in place by it, even when she noted that he was rushing toward her.

His talon-tipped fist flew toward her and Kagome popped out from her stupor, throwing up her bow to block it. The clash was brutal, the force sending the bow back to glance her temple. Stumbling back, Kagome pulled her frayed control of her body together and bolted for the obvious exit.

Why wasn't he dead?

The priestess vaguely observed that she was now bleeding from her head wound as she urgently searched for an answer to how Mōryōmaru could have possibly survived a direct  _Hama no Ya_  to the heart – she remembered Hakudōshi once saying he was special and not like any old regular incarnation, what the hell had that little shit said?

Kagome made it out of the fortress and back out into the yard, but found it exactly the same as she had left it only minutes earlier. A quick glance toward the cliffside told her that Sesshōmaru had yet to recover from his battle, which only stacked the odds higher against her. If Mōryōmaru could brush off Inuyasha's stronger, elder brother, then she had little chance of doing any better.

She had the power to purify the souls of yōkai, so why the hell- 

Kagome slowed her step as her brain discerned the error in her thinking: Hakudōshi had said that Mōryōmaru didn't have a soul – he had a life force, but not a soul.

Lost within her revelations, Kagome was unaware that she had nearly come to a complete stop, or that the creature occupying her thoughts had lashed out at her. She was caught by surprise when his talons carved away the earth beneath her feet and left her lying at his mercy. Kagome only had a few seconds to catch up, twisting onto her back and throwing the bow up to block his claws. "Son of a bitch!"

Mōryōmaru lunged with his jaws, roaring when he smashed into the shield she was projecting through Kikyō’s bow.

Kagome gritted her teeth and fought against him as well as she could. Her arms trembled uncontrollably from exhaustion and her power was sparking erratically as it weakened as well, her body struggling to keep from simply giving out. The ground beneath her was just as unforgiving and the panic of being crushed to death slipped through her mind.

"No!" The reborn priestess growled and forced out more of her aura. "I won't let Naraku win like this!"

Mōryōmaru responded to her threat with a vicious punch, bellowing triumphantly as a crack split her barrier down the center.

The blow sent a shock through her as her energy was overpowered and Kikyō’s bow snapped clean in two. Kagome's arms sagged until her elbows touched the ground, gaze fixated on the broken bow as tears spilled from her eyes.

Not her bow...

Kagome pinched her eyes shut at the sight of Mōryōmaru’s descending jaws, with their guarantee of death, and defiantly screamed out all of her hurt and frustration as she waited for her end.

"Kagome!"

The shout drowned out her scream and she reluctantly cracked opened her eyes because she recognized the voice, her heart thumping with hope that she wasn't deceiving herself.

Kagome could see a figure falling toward her, silhouetted by the moonlight. She could discern the outline of his face and the fangs peeking from his lips, along with his long mane of hair and triangular ears. The other item she noticed was the large blade in his right hand, hilt flowing with fur.

Tears ran thicker down her cheeks as he drew closer and she could make out the bright red color of his hakama. A shine from his throat had a smile spreading across her face – t _he Kotodama no Nenju_ _._

"Kagome!"

Kagome watched as the falling figure's lips said her name, the strange slowing of time fading as she finally saw his blazing amber eyes. "Inuyasha..."

She caught movement in her peripheral and jerked her eyes back to see Mōryōmaru’s teeth glint in the darkness as they flew toward her at full speed. Kagome screamed as the beast's breath blasted into her face. "Inuyasha!"

" _Kaze no Kizu!"_

Kagome instinctively curled away from the blinding light and scorching heat of the attack, even though she knew Inuyasha could wield the attack perfectly. She had no idea if it was a direct blow or one aimed to just separate them, but it mattered not when she found herself nestled tightly to a warm, muscled chest.

A hand gently caressed her disheveled hair, lightly touching the cut to her temple. "Kagome, you are so fucking stupid."

Cracking open her swollen eyes, Kagome locked onto his worried tawny eyes and smiled weakly. "I know."

"What's wrong with you?" His voice was strained, the muscles along his jaw clenching as he looked down at her. "Why the hell would you run off without me?"

She could see the fear in his eyes, feel it in the trembling of his arms, and heard it in the wavering of his usually unwavering voice; fear that he was unable to protect her; fear that he would find her dead.

Regret swept through her and brought tears anew to her eyes, her hands finally finding life again to wind themselves around his waist as her feet once again found the ground. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha." She buried her head into his chest, his forelocks gently hiding her shame behind them. "I made a horrible mistake and I..."

"Ssh," His arms locked around her and his nose buried in her hair. "I forgive you, Kagome."

Jerking back, Kagome pulled away and looked up into his face in disbelief. "But I-"

Inuyasha slid his claws through her hair and cupped her jaw with his Tessaiga-less hand. "Yes, I'm still pissed off and literally hurt," he gestured toward his side, where his stab wound was once again bleeding, "but I forgive you." He smiled. "I'll always forgive you."

Kagome hesitantly touched his barely-healed wound and watched sadly as it dripped to the ground. "I don't deserve you."

The hanyō snorted. "That may be true, but who else would always be there to save your accident-prone butt?"

She frowned. "A crazy person?"

He couldn't stop the grin that tugged at his lips. "Well, it finally makes sense."

"What does?"

"Why I'm always saving you."

Kagome stared at him warily. "You're not crazy, Inuyasha."

"Yes, I am." He tipped his head and pulled her up so she was flush against his body. A mischievous light twinkled in his eye. "For you."

She attempted to scoff, but he silenced her by planting a firm kiss on her lips. Kagome melted into him, reveling in the fact that he was alive and here and still loved her. She reluctantly pulled away when he relaxed and smiled shyly at him. "Inuyasha, I lo-“

A rumble shook the ground under their feet and Kagome looked away from him to see the already crumbled rear wall of Inu no Taisho's fortress collapse. A shriek rent through the air as Mōryōmaru smashed his way out of the crater Inuyasha had put him in.

The hanyō’s chest shook with a snarl. "Fucking bastard."

Kagome cocked her head curiously as she looked over at the creature from their hidden position in the woods. "That's strange..."

"What is?"

She glanced back at him. "I don't think I ever felt his aura before now."

Inuyasha's brow creased in confusion. "Kagome, that's not Mōryōmaru."

"Then who-" Her hands gripped his upper arms. "The barrier's gone!"

"Barrier? What barrier?"

Kagome dropped her head against his chest. "I'm so worn out, I didn't notice."

Inuyasha growled softly. "Notice what, Kagome?"

She sighed as she leaned against him. "There was a barrier around the fortress, but I didn't really pay attention because it didn't affect me."

The priestess felt him go still beneath her hands. "Let me guess, the only one affected by the barrier was Sesshōmaru?"

"Right, but-" She frowned. "How'd you know?"

It was Inuyasha's turn to sigh. "Because he sent Jaken out to find me." He turned his eyes to the rampaging Mōryōmaru, then across the yard to the very ominous looking dent in the cliffside. "That's how I got here so fast."

Kagome's brain felt sluggish, but she could still put two and two together. "He needed you so the barrier would be lifted."

He gave a slight nod just as the ground quaked again and he had to catch Kagome before the force of the aura at fault knocked her out. "Holy shit!"

Pain radiated throughout her skull and Kagome gingerly pressed a hand to her forehand as Inuyasha gently set her down on her butt. "Holy shit is right."

"Hey, Kagome?"

She blinked up at the hanyō, worried by his suddenly serious tone. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

He stood up and tightened his grip on Tessaiga. "I want you to promise me that you won't interfere."

"Interfere with what?"

He snapped angrily. "It doesn't matter! Just promise me that you won't do anything but stay right here!"

Kagome found that with all she had done already, and the insistence in his voice, that she couldn't refuse. "I promise, Inuyasha."

The words had barely passed her lips before the ground shook again and was followed by an explosion of rock from the cliffside. The overwhelming aura blanketed them all as a memorable swirl of red smoke exploded outward into the clearing. A thunderous growl vibrated through the air and Kagome knew without a doubt what was hidden within the smoke, something she hadn't laid eyes on in over five years.

Mōryōmaru bellowed once more and charged toward the smoke. As if on cue, the giant white inu-yōkai sprang forth to meet him, his enormous canine head slamming into Mōryōmaru’s chest. The soul-less creature yelped in pain, scrambling up from where he landed and launching up into the air with his leather-like wings.

Sesshōmaru’s tongue swept over his chops as he watched, waiting until the precise moment to spring. The dai-yōkai leapt effortlessly in spite of his missing foreleg, his foaming jaws latching onto one of Mōryōmaru’s wings and dragging the thing back down to the earth. The inu-yōkai wasted little time, savagely tearing the wing from the creature's back, while his poison sizzled in the wounds. Wild with fear and pain, Mōryōmaru spun his remaining wing and knocked Sesshōmaru back as he scrambled to get away. He didn't get far, as Sesshōmaru batted him around with a massive paw, diving onto the beast and sinking his teeth into Mōryōmaru’s throat.

Kagome watched fixatedly as Sesshōmaru literally tore Hakudōshi’s minion apart, cringing as the inu-prince mauled the creature's throat. Mōryōmaru’s strangled cries were enough to know that Sesshōmaru had left his poison to do the real work and had moved his attention elsewhere.

Opening her eyes, Kagome felt her heart surge into her own throat.

Elsewhere had turned out to be Inuyasha and now the half-brothers stood staring down one another with their father's fortress as the backdrop.

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyō ignored her shout and lifted his sword at Sesshōmaru, who returned the gesture by baring his dripping fangs with a snarl. Kagome knew that both of them could easily die from their wounds should they suffer more and was helpless to do anything about it. Even if she managed to drag together the dregs of her power, she had made a promise to Inuyasha to stay out of it. This was a fight between them and only they could settle it.

She could only serve as a spectator as the battered and bloody brothers charged straight at one another,  _deja vu_  sending a shiver of fear down her back.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: blood and gore

_“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan_

* * *

 

Inuyasha sent a roundhouse kick into his brother's muzzle, blocking with his sword as the dai-yōkai countered back instantly with salivating jaws. “C'mon!”

Tessaiga vibrated as it bounced off Sesshōmaru’s fang, sending Inuyasha sailing. The hanyō twisted backward in the air and used his free hand to spring off the ground, landing squarely back on both of his feet. Pain twined through his wounded abdomen, but he closed off his mind to it as he took Tessaiga’s hilt with both hands.

"C'mon, you bastard!"

Sesshōmaru needed no invitation; the enormous inu-prince dove for him with a thunderous snarl. His huge paw swatted and missed as Inuyasha dodged, leaping into the air and bringing the butt of his weapon down on the great white dog's sensitive nose. The howl of pain that followed only fueled Sesshōmaru’s rage further.

Inuyasha smirked. His elder sibling swung intense red eyes in his direction and the hanyō nonchalantly hefted his sword onto his shoulder. "This is just sad, Sesshōmaru. I thought you had more fight in you, but I guess that barrier was just too much for you to handle."

He received a barking growl of a reply before the dog moved, faster than he anticipated. Before he could react, he was snatched in his brother's foaming jaws and slung into the side of their father's fortress. The mortar cracked from the impact, but held, leaving him to fall to the ground in a stunned heap of bruised limbs.

"Sh-shit." Inuyasha stabbed Tessaiga into the earth and used the blade to push to his feet, body screaming as he moved. "That wasn't funny, asshole."

Sesshōmaru didn't seem to mind, stalking toward him and pouncing. The younger brother dove to his left, rolling to his feet and racing around the paw trying to crush him. The dog reacted swiftly and used a hind foot to land a solid mule kick to his smaller opponent. Surprised by the move, Inuyasha was caught off-guard and the blow hit him in the forearm, shattering the bones of his wrist and knocking Tessaiga into the air.

Inuyasha vaguely registered the paroxysm in his arm, his tourmaline gaze fixated on his somersaulting sword. He watched as Tessaiga clattered to a rest in the dirt about twenty yards away.

Not good.

A shift in the air made him turn around, Sesshōmaru’s claws flashing before him with a bloom of his blood. He dropped to his knees and pressed his functioning hand to his slashed chest, rusty blood coating his palm when he looked down. His ears faintly recognized the sound of Kagome's voice screaming his name.

Not fucking good.

Inuyasha blinked his bleary eyes as his elder brother's gigantic form filled his vision. He hadn't really had a plan when he had pitted himself against Sesshōmaru, but his general goal was to keep Kagome safe from his rampage. He had hoped to occupy him long enough for his rage or body to give out, but it appeared that Sesshōmaru was once again going to prove him wrong.

Sesshōmaru lowered his massive head and bared his fangs, the poison in his saliva foaming as it dripped to the ground. A deep, menacing rumble rolled out of his throat and hit Inuyasha in the face.

The hanyō growled back. "Fuck you too."

Inuyasha knew he only had a few moments to come up with a way out of this seemingly hopeless situation, but he was completely stumped. He’d lost too much damn blood and didn’t have Tessaiga. He followed Sesshōmaru’s tongue as it slid along his chops, and he bet his brother couldn't wait to fucking kill him.

"Inuyasha!"

His heart leapt into his throat as his golden gaze swiveled over and caught sight of Kagome shuffling toward him as fast as her debilitated legs would carry her. "Kagome, no!"

His desperate shout stilled her feet, tears streaking her dirty cheeks as she wobbled. "Inuyasha..." She reached her hand out toward him. "Please, Inuyasha..."

His vision focused on the tattered bandage that wrapped around the wrist of the hand she had extended toward him, recalling the sight of Kōga tearing at it like a starving animal. He had made a promise to himself that very morning that he would protect her with his life, but he had been lax on his word and it had led to her injury. He’d gotten lucky that day and refused to let luck be the deciding factor again.

"Inu...yasha..." Exhaustion sent her to her knees, her umber eyes beckoning.

He met her liquid-crystal eyes and shook his head, incensed when her long, elegant fingers curled into clenched fists that she slammed into the ground.

He was breaking her heart...all because of somebody like Sesshōmaru.

It boiled his blood to have to hurt her in order to make sure she remained alive. He cut his narrowed gaze back to his elder sibling, cracking the knuckles of his intact hand. His dog howled in response to his wrath and Inuyasha called it forth, welcoming the pulsing sensation that renewed his strength. The pain radiating throughout his body faded and he grinned as his eyes bloomed with red.

Inuyasha propelled himself forward, raking his lengthened claws across his chest before lashing out at Sesshōmaru’s gaping jaws. " _Hijin Kessō!_ "

The blades only glanced off the shoulder of their target as the Dai-yōkai ducked left and batted at his darting prey. The hanyō scantily avoided the crushing blows, jumping in and out of the colossal dog's reach as he continued his assault. Sesshōmaru took the blows, shallow and numerous, but realized the game quickly and managed to catch the swift hanyō with the brunt of his skull. The head butt sent him careening into the dirt, carving a trench with his body until he was stopped.

Inuyasha collided with the cliff side only feet from where Sesshōmaru had blasted free and lurched upright from his crater.  _Even with his dog he not strong enough!_  Snarling, he staggered to his feet and stared down Sesshōmaru as he prowled closer. The smug bastard wasn’t going to get the best of him.

His thought died as a scream rent through the chilly night air. Ears twitching, he followed the sound and gazed to his right, catching a glimpse of a woman that was definitely not Kagome.

_Rin?_

Inuyasha flicked his line of sight back to his opponent and knew his assumption was correct. Sesshōmaru’s eyes were no longer focused on him, but the young woman running toward them. The dai-yōkai regarded her silently, his gaping jaws slowly closing as she came to a halt between the two males with her arms outstretched.

"No more!" Her shout wobbled with emotion. "No more fighting!"

Inuyasha spied a slight lift in Sesshōmaru’s lip and was moving in an instant. "Sesshōmaru!"

The inu-prince swiveled his descending fangs away from Rin just as a flash of red and silver hurtled past his muzzle. Inuyasha felt the whisper of Sesshōmaru’s teeth against his back as he put all his lasting energy into shoving Rin out of danger. Her warm, honey eyes were wide with shock as his claws dug into her shoulder, his push a bit overzealous, but achieving the desired result.

Heat seared across his hip as Sesshōmaru’s fang sank deep into his flesh. Inuyasha grunted against the fresh wave of pain and shot his left elbow directly into the soft center of his elder brother's nose. The dog howled and gave his head a violent shake that dislodged his captured quarry, dispatching Inuyasha into the soil with dire force.

"Inuyasha!"

His ears flickered as he heard her limp toward him, an uneven beat vibrating lightly through the earth around him. His attempt to single out her scent was flattened by the overpowering smell of his own copper blood, thoroughly soaking his clothes. He tried pushing himself up, but none of his limbs would obey. Sagging into the ground with resignation, Inuyasha's head lolled back as straining coughs seized his clouted chest.

"Inuyasha..." Pea-sized bits of gravel bounced off his unbroken arm as she slid to a halt, dropping to her knees with a soft thud.

He cracked his crimson eyes open a fraction. "Kag...Kagome..."

"Stupid hanyō." Her strong fingers latched onto his blood-sodden haori and jerked his head into her denim-clad lap. Her touch was as delicate as her whisper as she brushed his sterling forelocks aside and touched along the jagged lavender stripes she revealed. "Why did you insist on doing this for me?"

"It's...my job." He strained to grasp her hand with his own, relieved when she took hold of his grip. "As long as there is still breath in my body," he squeezed her delicate fingers, "I will protect you, Kagome."

Her other hand fisted in his haori and pulled him farther into her lap, hugging him to her. "Inuyasha, you're wounds are too great."

"I know." He inhaled deeply, groaning against the pain. "If I fight any longer, my dog will take over and I'll transform. I'm still not strong enough to completely control it without Tessaiga."

"Where-?"

Kagome inquiry was cutoff as the earth shook beneath them, diverting their attention back to Sesshōmaru. His thunderous footsteps brought him to hover over them, his vast red eyes blinking lazily as he regarded them. His lengthy tongue flicked out and ran menacingly along his chops.

"Sesshōmaru," Inuyasha released Kagome's hand and labored to push himself upright. "I...fucking dare you...to try."

Kagome held fast to him. "No, Inuyasha. You can hardly move."

"Lord Sesshōmaru!"

The pair looked away from the dai-yōkai and watched with amazement as Rin ran toward them. Her arms clutched her tattered kimono together as she came up beside the gigantic dog. Her caramel-colored eyes were stern as she gazed up at her former guardian.

"Stop this, Lord Sesshōmaru!" She held out a tentative hand. "There is no need to kill them!"

Sesshōmaru angled his head toward her, emitting a soft growl of warning.

"Rin!" Inuyasha allowed Kagome to help him to his feet. "Get the hell away from him!"

She glanced over at them and shook her head gravely. "No, I refuse."

"You idiot! He'll kill you!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome tightened her arms around his torso, "let her try."

He cut his eyes back to the priestess. "She's gonna get herself fucking killed."

Her brown eyes were soft as she rested her head wearily against his shoulder. "Give her a chance, Inuyasha."

He knew Sesshōmaru had risked his own life to protect Rin numerous times in the past and to imagine him taking her life seemed ridiculous, but in his current state, Sesshōmaru was driven solely by instinct.

The instinct to kill.

He knew that his own transformation was different from Sesshōmaru’s in the fact that the inu-prince didn't have a human heart to lose, but the result was the same when he gave up his control of his nature. It was the entire reason Sesshōmaru used it as a last resort; once transformed, there was no such thing as discrimination and every living thing within reach was fair game. Unrestrained bloodlust was the ultimate condemnation and Inuyasha knew it would take a near miracle to snap its hold on Sesshōmaru.

"He's no different from me when I lose control, Kagome."

"I know that," she gripped his upper arms tightly, "but I'm gonna give him the same faith that I gave you. I knew that you would hear me and I know that Sesshōmaru will hear Rin."

The confident tone of her voice stayed his hand and he recalled her saying that there was a bond betwixt the two standing before them. Kagome had done the near impossible and reversed his transformation more than once, no doubt the result of her unyielding love, and now it was Rin's turn to prove herself.

"Fine, but don't cry when I say 'I told you so'." He grudgingly resigned himself to being a spectator as Rin stared down her potential doom.

"Please leave them be, Lord Sesshōmaru." Her voice vibrated with emotion as she approached cautiously. "They have done nothing against you."

Sesshōmaru openly snarled in response, jaws snapping together defiantly as he whirled away from her and moved back toward his younger sibling.

"Lord Sesshōmaru, no!"

Inuyasha jerked free from Kagome's hold as Rin dove forward and latched onto Sesshōmaru’s foreleg. "Rin!"

The great white beast froze, bewildered by the sensation and turned to face her, lowering his nose to her level.

"Please," her arms tightened on his leg as she pressed her face into a patch of snowy fur free from the stain of his blood. "Please don't hurt them!"

The hanyō watched fastidiously as Sesshōmaru’s eyes snapped wide and a red glow engulfed his massive frame. Seconds later, a torrent of air blasted out with the dai-yōkai's aura and Inuyasha was forced to shield Kagome from the debris that flew toward them.

"Get down!" He wrapped his arms around her and dropped into a crouch, only relaxing when the wind died down. Shaking his head free from a layer of sand, Inuyasha set her back. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

She lifted her head from where she'd tucked it to his chest. "Yes, but what was that?"

Inuyasha held her arms tightly as he stood back up, casting a glance back over his shoulder. "He turned back. She did it."

The inu-hanyō and the priestess watched with bated breath as Sesshōmaru’s tawny eyes stared down at Rin from beneath his frosty bangs, his lacerated arm still tangled in her embrace.

* * *

 

Kōga's cerulean gaze held fast to the flickering flames of the small fire burning only a few feet in front of him. Tiny bits of ash floated about as the limbs and kindling crackled, almost deafening to his sensitive ears in the darkness. The acrid smell of smoke hung heavily in the air and he found that it nullified the scent of all the others sound asleep around him.

The wolf sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tall tree that towered behind him. The heat of the fire buffered against his crossed legs and he was reminded of the fact that he no longer was in the possession of the tingling warmth of the Sacred Jewel shards. The thought had at one time left him feeling weak, but if he was truly honest with himself, he couldn't deny the truth of Ayame's words.

_"As my first decision as Alpha, I felt it was in our shared interest to aid you, Kōga, the most powerful warrior of our race, in your fight against Naraku."_

Kōga lifted his right hand and stared at it intently, recalling the electric charge that had run through his body when Ayame's hand had pressed to his chest. The thunder claws had manifested immediately, the steel claws encasing each of his fingers and fusing to the cuff encircling his wrist with fine chains of demonic aura. And just as fast as it had appeared, the Goraishi returned to reside in the depths of his yōki.

The weapon of their ancestors...and now it was his to use against Naraku.

He had for a long time believed the existence of the Goraishi to simply be a myth, having paid the stories of his elders little mind as he grew up. Much of his childhood had been spent in scuffles with the other wolf pups in his clan, all of them striving to achieve a higher rank and earn subordinates. He had not been born the son of a pack alpha, so his efforts to elevate himself had proved paramount in his rise to leader of the Eastern ōkami-yōkai tribe.

Perhaps he had been a bit too ambitious in his pursuit of power, because it now seemed he was the lucky candidate that his entire race had deemed worthy as their absolute leader alongside Ayame. He was never one to presume having bitten off more than he could chew, but it was entirely possible that he had.

His keen ears caught the sound of the kitsune's sleep-induced murmuring and brought his attention back to the present, glancing through the moonlit clearing to where he had seen Ayame curl up for the night.

Kōga blinked with surprise. She was gone!

Jumping to his feet, he darted to where he had seen her lying and was finally able to catch a tendril of her scent now that he had distanced himself from the fire. Unease floated in his belly as a tight knot as he followed the trail of her smell into the surrounding forest. The farther into the trees he went, the stronger her scent became as it began to mingle with that of another wolf.

Where the hell was she? He swatted away an offending branch that hung in his line of sight. How was he supposed to watch out for her when she disappeared?

Hopping lithely over a line of hedges, Kōga dropped to one knee as the intensity of her scent enveloped him. He allowed the light, sweet smell wash over him and opened his sharp eyes to see her perched on a log before him. She sat with her knees tucked to her chest, hands wrapped in the ruff around the neck of the silver wolf sitting at her feet.

Her head tilted in his direction, her sparkling green eyes meeting his from over her shoulder. "I was wondering when you would come looking for me."

Kōga stood, but hesitated to join her. "Ayame, you shouldn't go off alone."

The ginger-haired wolf sent him a mirthful grin. "Did I worry you?" She sighed and looked back toward her four-legged companion. "I apologize."

The muscles along his jaw clenched. "You don't exactly sound all that sorry."

"That's because I'm not."

"Ayame," Kōga growled at her dismissive tone, "this isn't some kind of game."

Her shoulders hunched and the wolf at her feet stood with snarl. "Do I honestly seem that stupid to you, Kōga?" She dug her fingers into the bark of the log. "I know better than anyone that this isn't a game. The real question is, do you?"

"What?"

"It is so easy for you, Kōga." She pulled her head up to stare up into the night sky. "You have set yourself on the single-minded path of revenge on Naraku, abandoning the rest of your pack to fend for themselves."

Kōga finally moved toward her, stopping within arms-reach of her fur-draped shoulders. "I can't let him get away with what he's done, Ayame. My honor depends on it."

She snorted softly, dropping her feet to the ground. "You have no idea how much my support of that has been flung back in my face."

He focused his gaze on the metallic sheen of her copper pigtails. "What are you talking about?"

Ayame sighed as the silver wolf whimpered and laid his muzzle on her knee, sneaking out his tongue to lap at her fingers. "Civil unrest is running rampant between the tribes and the number of casualties is rising. Everyone is battling to find a leader to unite them and since my grandfather's death, it has fallen to me to be that leader."

The despair in her tone led his hand out to rest on her shoulder. "Shouldn't that be the Elders job?"

Her shimmering eyes darted to his strong fingers. "No. I am the Alpha. It is my duty."

"Ayame..."

"For a long time the packs avoided conflict because they believed that you would unite them. You were a wolf with the strength to lead them all and when you left on your quest for Naraku, they felt abandoned. The betrayal they felt fueled the fire and the packs began infighting. By the time grandfather died, the situation had become dire and the remaining Elders believed I would finally be able to bring about peace."

Her head drooped as a shudder ran through her frame. "They were furious with me when I not only told them that I wasn't going to force your return, but that I was going to help you in your fight. They believe that I am condemning all ōkami-yōkai to a violent end."

Kōga suddenly felt incredibly asinine as the salty sting of Ayame's tears reached his nose. "I never proclaimed to be anyone's savior."

Ayame ignored him. "I didn't matter what I said. They all believe you are so obsessed with the dead that you have forsaken the living, and that I am only fueling that obsession. I was given an ultimatum when I decided to take the Goraishi: bring you back by winter or be exiled."

"Exiled?"

"Yes, exiled." She rested her elbows on her knees. "It's a death sentence."

"Why?" His grip tightened on her shoulder. "Why are you helping me?"

She smacked away his hand with a growl. "Because it’s what my grandfather would've wanted me to do!"

He swallowed the thick lump in his throat, shocked at her vehemence. "Ayame, I-"

She whipped her watery eyes to his with frustration. "He knew how powerful you were. He knew you were capable of bringing the tribes together. He believed in you!" The female wolf jerked away from him, getting to her feet as a sob brought her voice back to a whisper. " _I_ believed in you."

Kōga leapt over the log, ignoring the growling silver wolf, and grabbed her shoulder once again, spinning her to face him. "Are you saying that you don't anymore?"

Her emerald eyes snapped to his azure gaze, angrily brushing away his hands. "I don't know what to believe anymore!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She crossed her arms dejectedly. "I used to believe there wasn't anything you couldn't do after you saved me all those years ago. I knew it down to my bones that you would be a wolf that etched a place into our history, and I always thought I would be there to see it with my own eyes."

"Ayame, I can't-"

Ayame swiped at the tears sliding down her face and shook her head. "Don't worry, Kōga. You've made it abundantly clear that you won't be coming back to be my mate."

He sighed. "I made that promise so long ago. I hardly knew you."

"At least you aren't trying to deny it anymore." She strode past him and knelt down to soothe the agitated wolf. "I'll take what I can get out of you, I guess."

"Ayame."

"No, you denied your promise to join me. It has only solidified the wolves' belief that you have deserted us."

"I will never desert them!" Kōga glared at the iris nestled in her hair because he couldn't see her face. "You know better than that!"

She dropped her forehead against the wolf's. "Truly? Why is it that I know you will avenge your comrades and return to lead us, but that you won't keep your promise to me?"

Her pain was palpable in the air around him and he realized had been wrong about her all along. He had figured her to only be a spoiled, nonsensical girl that was never denied, but that wasn't the case at all. She was risking everything for him and all she had to go on was his word – his promise. Her loyalty to him went beyond anything necessary between mates, because if she was exiled, she would be hunted until her death.

She was willing to die for him.

"I'm sorry that I led you to doubt me, but I will not allow your sacrifice to be in vain."

The young wolf's hair bounced as her head snapped up, pivoting on her heels to look up at him, still crouching by her companion. "Kōga?" She blinked with disbelief as he jerked her to her feet, his rough hands engulfing hers. "Kōga, what...?"

"Ayame, don't give up on me."

She looked away, dark eyes swirling. “I don't know what you want me to say to you."

He squeezed her hands. "You don't have to say anything, just stay." He watched her pull her lower lip between her teeth apprehensively. "Stay with me, Ayame."

"Why?"

The skeptical question seemed to fall from her lips involuntarily and he sighed. "There are too many lives at stake with Naraku alive and it pains me to admit this to you, but I can only focus my energy toward one goal at a time." He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. "Once he's dead, I swear I will do my best to help you."

The wary glow persisted in her eyes. "You're not going to try and send me back?"

"No, I won't let you go back."

"What?"

Kōga watched her struggle to comprehend his words. "Ayame, I won't let them exile you."

"Kōga..." Fresh tears pooled in her eyes as she freed her hands, wrapping them anxiously about her middle.

He hesitantly reached for her, the swirling emotions in her scent churning his stomach. "Ayame?"

The sound of her name dropping from his lips seemed to snap the tension plaguing her body, a sob of relief escaping her throat as she threw herself at him. Kōga only had a moment to comprehend the action, his arms instantly lifting to wrap around her slight shoulders as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He held her as she cried, gazing past the iris in her hair to the wolf lazily wagging his tail back and forth behind her.

Slowly, almost timidly, he reached up and brushed his fingers through her pigtails as her tears stained the fur on his shoulder, knowing there was no way he would fail again. His face tipped toward her head, settling his nose in her hair as he inhaled the innocent sweetness.

* * *

His intense, golden gaze studied her face as it beckoned to him, noting that age had only enhanced the beauty she had had as a child. He would have to have been blind not to see it, despite the dirt smudged across the smooth skin of her cheeks and the faint bruise beginning to make its presence known along her jaw line. It was perplexing to him, but he found it hard to find anything unbecoming about her, even with her ragged attire and battered complexion when she smiled so brightly at him.

"Thank you," her voice wobbled with emotion. "Thank you for coming back to me, Lord Sesshōmaru." Her warm honey eyes pinched shut as a pair of liquid crystals slipped out and slid down her cheeks.

The salty scent of her tears swept through him and he had to consciously stop himself from reaching up and brushing them away. His sudden need to comfort her was overwhelming and it only served to fuel his wrath further.

"Unhand me."

His voice was rougher than usual and Rin's eyes flicked back open with obvious confusion. "Milord?"

The strain of fear in her scent twisted something within him and his irritation only grew exponentially at his own wayward instincts. A soft growl stirred in his throat. "Unhand me."

Rin's eyes dropped from his face to where her hands were wound about his arm and the offending digits began to softly caress the limb. "But you're wounded, Milord. Please allow this Rin-"

"You would disobey me?" His growl became audible as he jerked his arm up to his chest and effectively dragged her up against his tall body.

The scathing tone of his voice sent her already badgered frame trembling, their difference in height leaving the toes of her feet straining to keep her standing as she refused to release his arm. "Lord Sesshōmaru, please..." Her voice trailed off as more tears escaped her eyes, her head ducking away from his piercing gaze. Her arms were visibly shaking as she struggled to keep hold of him. "Please..."

Her scent was blanketed with her fear of him and it vexed him as to why she seemed determined to ignore it. Sesshōmaru surveyed her silently, every fiber of his inu-yōkai body screaming to cradle her softness against him, and yet he remained motionless. He was disturbed by his unnatural need to shield this fragile creature from danger and could not figure out what to attribute it to.

_"Do you have something to protect?"_

The rumble in his chest ebbed as his father's voice stole through his mind, the memory as fresh as if it had occurred yesterday. Inu no Taishō had refused to be swayed in his decision to rescue his human mate, to protect her from danger, and that desire had served to be the great dai-yōkai's end. He had been unable to understand what his father had been trying to convey at the time, but it suddenly seemed to fall into place for him.

"I, Sesshōmaru, protect nothing."

The growl grew into a snarl as he threw Rin away from him without warning, the sharp movement too much for her weakened arms to withstand. She was sent crashing into the ground with a harsh slap of palms against dirt, too stunned by the impact to even make a sound.

"Rin!"

Sesshōmaru snapped his cold eyes to his half-breed sibling's woman as she tried to come to the girl's aid, easily stopping her in her tracks.

"Lord...Sess..." Rin fought to push herself up, lifting red-rimmed eyes to meet his glare.

"You dare to interfere while I kill that worthless half-breed?" Sesshōmaru didn't try to soften the sneer in his tone. "You dare to disobey me?"

Rin finally levered herself into a sitting position. "But, I-"

He lashed out faster than she could register, snatching the soft dark hair of her offset ponytail in his grasp and jerking her head back as she cried out. "Do you want to die?"

"Let her go, Sesshōmaru!"

He caught the shuffling movement of Inuyasha to his left and released the girl, pivoting on his heel and snatching the hanyō’s throat in one fluid motion. His sibling's eyes blinked with irritation as Sesshōmaru dug his claws into the sensitive flesh of his neck, pleased at the sight of fresh blood drooling from the wounds.

He narrowed his eyes at his offending younger brother. "You never did know when to leave well enough alone."

Inuyasha continued to glare at him and spoke through gritted teeth. "Leave Rin alone."

"Who are you to make demands of me, half-breed?"

"Call me whatever the hell you want," Inuyasha winced as the claws on his neck twitched, "but I won't let you hurt her."

Sesshōmaru’s tawny eyes flashed angrily as a telling green glow enveloped his hand. "Then I will kill you both."

The hanyō’s face twisted as the poison in his brother's claws oozed into his wounds, a vein ticking on his forehead as he fought for air against the increasing pressure of Sesshōmaru’s grip. His unbroken arm made a weak attempt to pry the strangling hold on his throat, clawing futilely at the dai-yōkai's already ravaged arm. Sesshōmaru was pleased when the hand fell away and Inuyasha's eyes drooped, a bit of foaming saliva pooling at the corner of his mouth.

He was surprised she had waited as long as she did, but he anticipated her movement and countered Kagome's attack with a swift backhand to the face, leaving Inuyasha to crumple to the ground. What he hadn't expected was the shock that came with the blow, snapping up along his arm to slam into his heart. He staggered back as step and watched Kagome reel, her knees giving out and sending her to the ground.

"Ignorant human." Sesshōmaru clenched a fist. "Did you really believe your wretched power would affect me?"

Kagome recovered remarkably fast, scrambling over to where Inuyasha lay still on the ground. When she looked up at him, he was pleased to note the blood drooling from her split lip as she glared defiantly. "I am not afraid of you, Sesshōmaru."

"Fear would be quite unbecoming for a priestess." He moved to loom over her. "You will leave this world as a respectable adversary."

He reached out his bloody arm to snatch her neck, but another small hand intervened by taking hold of his wrist. "You will not touch Lady Kagome."

Sesshōmaru eased his infuriated amber gaze to Rin's angelic face, a mask of temerity painted over her delicate features. His retort died in his throat as he discovered the fear previously smothering her scent to be gone, dissolved in the small fraction of time since he had tossed her aside. Her honey-colored eyes were flecked with green as they dared him to stop her as she lifted his claws to her own spindle-like neck.

"She risked her life to save me from Akago's possession. I am in her debt." Rin pressed his claws to her flesh and lifted her chin. "I demand that you take my life in place of hers."

It was the boldness of her actions that stayed his hand. The glint in her eyes was the same he had seen when she was a child on the day he had left her behind, a fiery spark that dared him to prove her wrong. Sesshōmaru realized in that moment that she could see through him; she could see what he was so fixated on ignoring. She was as aware as he was of the strange power that pulled them toward one another and she was unafraid to put her faith into that power.

She knew he needed her as much as she needed him, loathe as he was to admit it. She knew he was unable to kill her and was using it against him.

Sesshōmaru was unperturbed by the sudden calm that swept through him, shifting his hand away from her throat to softly cradle her chin. "Perhaps you did not hear me," he lifted his thumb to run along her full lower lip, pleased to see her falter under his penetrating gaze. "No one makes demands of me."

Her eyes snapped wide, searching his face even as he none too gently shoved her away. He spun away from her inspection and strode toward the surrounding trees, moving in the direction of his quivering servant's aura. He did not care that her questions bore their way into his back and he did not care when his ears caught the sound of her collapsing to the ground with vexation.

Jaken popped out of the foliage only a moment after he entered the solace of the forest, hoping about with agitation. "Lord Sesshōmaru!" He tottered along behind when the dai-yōkai did not stop walking. "Oh, Lord Sessshō-"

Sesshōmaru silenced him with eyes that promised death before continuing on to where A-Un waited patiently. The twin-headed dragon bleated a welcome and rumbled as the inu-yōkai touched both of their heads in turn.

"You will stay here with Rin."

The dual-minded dragon perked at the name and eagerly struck out in the girl's direction, moving past the imp that looked as if he was about to burst with the need to voice his unwarranted opinion. Sesshōmaru narrowed his eyes to make sure Jaken's mouth remained shut and continued his journey into the woods, fully aware that the entire time he spent recovering would be plagued with thoughts of the nymph-like creature that was Rin.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: body horror, gore, and blood

_“What do we have but our illusions? And what do we ask of others but that we be allowed to keep them?” – W. Somerset Maugham_

* * *

 

The air was dank around him as he hesitated on the porch of the shrouded house, and the dim light of the flickering torches on either side of the entrance did little to ease the ominous sensation of the surrounding darkness. There was a sour odor lingering about the doorway as he edged closer, a tremor seizing his hand as he gripped the slider. Inhaling deeply to steady himself, he pulled the door aside.

The pungent smell was stronger now; a queer stale smell that reminded him of a corpse. It did little to ease his nerves as he took a few tentative steps into the shadowed room. The wooden floor creaked under his small feet and he froze when his toes pressed into something wet and cold.

He blinked owlishly down at his foot when he realized that he had stepped in a dollop of dark blood, fresh enough to still be wet, but old enough to be thick in its viscosity. A knot of anxiety lodged in his throat as he returned his eyes to the black threshold to the next room, and he instinctively feared the being he knew to be hiding in the depths of the gloom-saturated air.

Akago willed his fear away – Naraku abhorred displays of weakness – knowing it would not do well for him to express just how much he dreaded facing the creature that could end his life as easily as he had created it.

He brushed his consciousness against Naraku's and shuddered at the emptiness he felt.

Bolstering false bravado, Akago strode into the black cloud of Naraku's aura and came to a halt when he found the patchwork yōkai sitting cross-legged in the center of the room. The young yōkai stared at the back of his master and swallowed. "Father, I have returned."

His voice sounded fragile as he spoke, and he waited for the rebuke but none came. Akago couldn't tell for sure, but it appeared as though Naraku wasn't even breathing. "Father?"

Still denied a response, his curiosity was momentarily perked, and he eased quietly up on Naraku's left side. His singed lavender locks drooped when he tipped his head in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the yōkai's face. A jagged knife of panic snaked down his spine when he caught sight of Naraku's blank, staring eyes.

The yōkai's wavy hair hung in a tangle about his shoulders, and Akago suddenly knew the source of the nauseating smell the permeated the air. Garish stripes of rust colored blood painted Naraku's pale visage and coated the hands clawing into the stained tatami mats. A closer inspection revealed that his navy blue haori was also soaked in the life-giving fluid of whatever victim the yōkai had left in his wake.

A bead of sweat slid down the seared flesh of Akago's temple: an uncommon sight on the usually calm and collected yōkai-child's face. His small chest rose and fell faster in time with his nervous breathing, his small hand reaching for the tiny katana at his hip and cursing when he remembered it was lost.

"Father?"

Akago caught the sound of tearing cloth over the pounding in his ears, but it did little to help him when he discovered himself suddenly suspended in the air. Pain bloomed throughout his middle and his disbelieving eyes drifted downward to find the razor-edged limb of a spider thrust into his abdomen. His shock dulled his comprehension of the situation until he opened his mouth in response and a torrent of rich, red blood poured from his lips to splash onto the floor.

He was dying.

Akago's eyes blazed wide at the sight, jerking to the face of his attacker when he was dragged in front of the yōkai, but Naraku's eyes didn't move from the spot on the floor where they had been stationed since the boy entered the room. Akago suddenly realized that the yōkai's mouth was moving, but whatever he was saying was too quiet for him to hear over the thunder in his ears.

"Fa…ther…?"

Naraku's mouth stilled and horror filled Akago as he witnessed seven more spider legs erupt from his captor's back. Naraku raised himself up on his new legs and dragged his prey closer, leaving Akago helpless as he watched the yōkai's eyes blaze red.

"She's gone."

Akago's bleary eyes focused on Naraku's mouth again at the sound of his ragged voice. "What?"

Naraku continued to transform into his true form as he leaned closer to the boy's face. "She's gone."

His jaw jerked wide as a pair of fangs sprouted from his mouth, and those horrible dark red eyes multiplied, his skin darkening until there was no longer anything remotely human about the yōkai known as Naraku.

Fat tears leaked from the corners of Akago's eyes as he watched Naraku lower his arachnid mouth to latch onto his right foot. It wasn't supposed to be this way; he always thought he was Naraku’s favorite.When those powerful jaws crushed down onto his leg and began eating him alive, Akago could to nothing to quench the fountain of inhuman screams that poured from his dying lips.

* * *

 

"Is the bandage really that necessary?"

Miroku watched his wife's vivid violet eyes roll with her lack of amusement.

A cheeky smirk spread across his face at the sight. "I assure you, my love. I feel great."

Sango narrowed her eyes at him and pulled tight on the cloth she was wrapping about his head, eliciting a small yelp from her husband. "Quiet."

Miroku gently prodded the finished product of her ministrations and sighed. "Oh, well. It was worth a shot." He turned his attention to his wife. "How is you shoulder?"

"Better." She softly felt around the swollen joint. "I'll probably have to wear this sling for another day or two, but I still won't be able to use this arm for a while."

The monk sighed. "We need time to recuperate, but that's time we don't have." He glanced through the early morning haze to where his young brother-in-law sat, quietly eating strips of dried meat. "Kohaku, what do you know of Naraku's plans?"

The boy's methodical chewing stopped and he lifted his gaze from the low-burning fire. "I'm sorry, but I don't really know." He glanced between his sister and the monk. "Naraku just gave me orders to follow." A shy grin crossed his face and disappeared just as fast as it came. "He didn't exactly trust me."

"Is there anything that might help us find him?" Miroku glanced to where Shippo was dejectedly picking at his food. "Or the others?"

Kohaku followed his gaze and watched the kitsune visibly perk up at the mention of Kagome and Inuyasha before sliding his soft brown eyes back to the monk. "I wasn't privy to what Naraku had planned to do himself, but I do know that he had Hakudōshi posted in the Western Lands of Inu no Taishō to bait Lord Sesshōmaru into confrontation. Once Akago had sprung his trap for all of you in that village, he was to bring Kagome with him when he joined Hakudōshi."

Shippō's voice was trembling with expectation. "What about Inuyasha?"

The young yōkai-taijiya lowered his eyes from the hopefully expressions of all around him. "I'm sorry. I do not know what has become of Inuyasha. The last time I saw him he defeated me in battle and went after Kagome."

The fox kit's ears drooped with dismay. "This isn't fair."

Miroku was pained that there was nothing he could do for the distraught youth. "Don't worry, Shippō. I'm sure Inuyasha and Kagome are just fine."

The russet tuft of hair on Shippō's head bobbed as he nodded. "I hope so." Kirara mewed and nudged her way under the saddened kit's arm, rubbing her head against his chest in comfort.

Miroku glanced back at Kohaku. "Do you know where Naraku could possibly be hiding?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. "I don't think-"

"Hey!" Everyone around the small campfire jumped at the rough voice, all eyes landing on the deadly expression on Kōga's face as he stood with his arms crossed. "If you know where to find that asshole, you better speak up."

Kohaku's eyes narrowed as he glared at the wolf. "If you insist." He took a deep breath as if to calm himself. "Naraku is utilizing a cavern in the mountains to the east of here as a base, but I have no idea if he'll actually be there since he seems hell bent on finding my jewel shard."

Miroku watched Kohaku closely but had trouble deciding whether it was actually him or remnants of Kagura that fueled the snarled response. He recalled Sango telling him that Kohaku had said some scathing remarks to her before he joined with the wind witch. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his time as Naraku's slave had changed him permanently. As of yet, he was unable to determine if Kagura was to blame for any of his rougher attributes.

The monk shifted his attention to the over-bearing wolf. He observed the arrogant tilt of Kōga's chin and knew that while the ōkami-yōkai had recently been dealt a painful blow by Naraku, it was apparent that he had already recovered. "What do you plan to do, Kōga?"

His piercing blue eyes cut to the monk. "I'm going to find that bastard and kill him."

Miroku held back his rebuke as Ayame sauntered up beside Kōga, her silver, quadruped companion at her heels. "And you, Ayame?"

"I go where Kōga goes." Her emerald eyes were just as ironclad as Kōga's. "If that is in pursuit of Naraku, so be it."

Miroku had thought that he could possibly persuade Ayame to alter their plans, but the pack instinct in her identified Kōga as her leader, and she would follow no one but the brash wolf. He wasn't about to waste his breath even trying to dissuade Kōga; the feat itself was impossible.

Sighing, Miroku turned his eyes to the one person that had remained silent throughout the entire exchange. "Sango?"

His wife tightly clasped her hands in her lap and took a moment to collect her thoughts before she spoke. "While I have no doubt that Kōga is a strong adversary," she gave the wolf a subtle nod in respect, "I also believe that Kagome's priestess power will be vital in vanquishing Naraku. It would be prudent for us to find both Kagome and Inuyasha and regroup." She lifted a weary gaze to her husband. "We are wounded and too weak at present to be any threat to Naraku with a nearly complete  _Shikon no Tama._ "

Miroku nearly smiled at how alike they were in mind. She had ascertained their current situation much as he had and he found he had nothing to add to her decision. "I am in agreement with my wife. We must find Kagome and Inuyasha."

Kōga grunted at that. "And what about you, Kohaku? Do you think the mutt is that important?"

Kohaku seemed to weigh his words carefully. "I was led to believe that Kagome held the most importance because she is a priestess. I won't deny that Inuyasha's strength in battle is invaluable, but I was also under the impression that you can't have one without the other."

"Ain't that the truth?" Kōga huffed and dropped his arms to his sides. "Well, you can do what you please. I'm going after Naraku to end this bullshit."

Miroku studied Kōga closely and noted that while he had always seemed determined to kill Naraku, there was a new found vein of finality within his claim. He glanced at the wolf's female companion and how her brilliant green eyes never seemed to stray far from his person. Ayame's devotion to Kōga had been apparent from the moment he had first met her, and it seemed that it had only grown since she had been reunited with him the day before.

He had no doubt that she was behind this sudden development.A knowing grin spread across his face as his gray eyes moved to the slight shoulders of his wife. He was sure Kōga couldn’t resist her any more than he was able to resist Sango.His grin increased in its wattage. 

Pushing his musings about the pair of wolves aside, Miroku got to his feet with his Shakujō in tow. "It has been decided then. I will take Sango, Shippō, and Kirara to the Western Lands of Inu no Taishō in hopes of finding Inuyasha and Kagome. I will leave finding Naraku up to you, Kōga."

The roguish wolf nodded and turned toward the east with Ayame following diligently to the edge of the clearing. Before either could take a single step into the thick foliage of the surrounding forest, Kohaku slipped in front of them without a sound. The silver wolf at Ayame's side snarled menacingly in time with the irritation that rumbled through Kōga's aura. "Get out of my way, boy."

Kohaku remained unmoving. "I will only advise you this, Kōga. Naraku is more powerful than ever and if you do not take caution, you will die a wretched death."

Kōga raised his arm to shove Kohaku aside. "Try telling me something I don't know, brat."

Swift as a lightning strike, Kohaku caught the ōkami-yōkai's wrist. "Should trouble befall you, speak to the wind and I will hear your call."

Miroku viewed the scene with bated breath, waiting for the scuffle that was sure to follow. He was left blinking with disbelief when Kōga ceased growling.

"I don't need your help." Kōga's voice was cold when he pulled his arm away roughly and disappeared into the woods.

Ayame laid a soothing hand onto the broad head of her companion, quieting the beast's thunderous threat. "While I cannot say that I speak for Kōga," she smiled softly, "I will heed your warning and call for aid in the event the situation becomes dire."

Kohaku met her warm gaze and tightly grasped his shirt above his beating heart. "I fear he still hasn't completely forgiven Kagura and her participation in Naraku's insidious plot against his pack members."

"We ōkami-yōkai value the pack above everything else." She rested a hand on his shoulder as she strode past him. "His ire will ease only with time," she gave him a reassuring squeeze before releasing him, "and Naraku's death."

With a kind wave, Ayame and her silver partner melted into the woods in silence.

Miroku helped Sango snuff out the campfire as Kohaku drifted back toward them. "I figured you would have gone with them."

The boy shook his head negatively. "I know the exact path to Naraku's lair, but Kōga does not desire my assistance. I have no doubt that they will find the way with their superior senses of smell. Whether or not they find Naraku, is entirely up in the air." He sighed. "I have no idea if he will actually be there."

Miroku shrugged. "Well, I have no doubt that Kōga will stir up something anyway."

Kohaku strode over to where he'd laid his weapons for the night, coiling the chain to his kusarigama after tucking the blade into his belt. "I'll be of much better use leading you to Inuyasha and Kagome."

"How so?"

"A gift from Kagura." He lifted the armored cap on his left shoulder and revealed a single, white feather. "I can listen to the wind."

* * *

 

The brisk morning air felt enormously good buffering pleasantly against her face as she threaded between the trees. The chill was refreshing, lifting her spirits almost as much as chasing down Kōga. The sun had yet to reach a point in the sky where its light illuminated the forest through the thick branches of the trees, but she could still see the dark swirl of Kōga's hair ahead of her in the dimly lit woodlands.

Increasing her pace, she drew up beside him and nearly giggled at the severe expression on his face. "Oh, Kōga, do relax!"

He shot her a glare. "I have to get to the eastern range. I don't have time for games, Ayame."

"You do realize that mountain range is a few days away even for us wolves, right?"

His answer was a growl as he darted farther ahead. Ayame watched his back a moment before glancing down to meet the grinning eyes of her shadow. "I think our friend needs an attitude adjustment. What do you think, Tokkan?"

The silvered wolf gave her chirping bark in reply, his tail waving to and fro.

Ayame couldn't stop the flood of excitement that bubbled through her body as she conjured her leaf shuriken. Eyeing the subject of her game, Ayame raised her arm as she yelled. "Hey, Kōga!"

He hardly had time to glance back at her when the razor-sharp leaves sent him darting side-to-side to avoid being cut to ribbons. He gave her an incredulous look as he came to stand still. "What the hell?"

The she-wolf breezed to a halt in front of him with more of her bladed leaves in hand. "Ah, Kōga." She smiled devilishly at his blazing blue eyes. "I just wanted to have a little fun."

To punctuate her point, she shot a couple more at his head. Her aim was true and Kōga was forced to draw his rarely used katana in order to knock them aside. He eyed where the leaves had embedded themselves in the ground on either side of him before returning his gaze to Ayame once more. "You're pushing it."

Tokkan woofed his amusement as she laughed. It was a full-bodied peal of exuberance. "You should see the look on your face! It's priceless!"

He slid the katana back into its scabbard with a stiff movement. "Enough with the games, Ayame. I won't tell you again."

Ayame blinked at the blatant threat, a frown marring her bright features. "Ah, that's no fun, Kōga."

"I'm not out here to have fun." He crossed his arms over his lean chest. "I have a job to do."

Ayame narrowed her eyes at him at she weighed her options. She could either comply and suffer his overbearing attitude, or continue her little game in the hope he would just relax and live a little. She glanced at Tokkan and found him grinning back at her with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. It was all the reassurance she needed.

Kōga had remained silent during her scrutiny, but interrupted her thoughts with a gruff bark. "Well?"

Ayame regarded him calmly and flicked her leaf shuriken away into nothingness. Clasping her hands behind her back, she sidled up in front of Kōga and met his harsh stare from lash-veiled eyes. She didn't speak at first and he seemed to grow steadily unsure the longer she remained so quiet and close. A sly smirk pulled her full lips as she leaned into his space, pleased when he rigidly caught himself from backing off, and stopped with her mouth inches from his right ear.

She could smell the confusion in his scent and congratulated herself. "I'll stop," she smirked wider when her breath on his neck stirred a tremor in his frame, "if you can catch me."

Kōga blinked as an explosion of swirling leaves danced away from him, swift as the very wind itself. A snarl erupted from his throat as Tokkan yowled and took off after her. He darted in pursuit, his irritated aura a tornado of soft blue air as he tore after her.

"Ayame!" His bellowing call incited a burst of colorful laughter from her lips as she grinned from over her shoulder ahead of him. "You messed with the wrong wolf!"

His threats did little to deter her as she wove her way through the trees, using every possible obstacle – logs, ditches, and streams – to slow down his hunt, resorting to her bladed leaves when he refused to relent. Kōga quickly discovered that Ayame was possibly the only wolf that could give him a run for his money when it came to pure speed. While he still held the upper hand in an outright sprint, Ayame had an agility he couldn't even begin to match. The combined use of her leaf shuriken and zigzagging path was enough to keep a small distance between them.

All the while, her laughter continued to fill the otherwise muted forest, and he found that he loved the sound of it. Kōga all too soon was enjoying their morning chase as much as she, his natural hunting instinct singing as he followed her across the terrain. Tapping into such primal urges heightened his senses, and he could easily lock on to her enticing scent despite the myriad of other smells filling the area as they ran. The sweet, feminine aroma was driving him insane after only a few miles, and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle the torture of chasing her much longer.

A feral grin broke out on his face as he ceased to simply play along and pulled on every drop of speed his body could produce. He was alongside her in a split second, immensely pleased when her eyes shot wide with surprise. "Miss me?"

"K-Kōga!" She sputtered in disbelief, suddenly distracted from where she had been running by the arresting attraction she felt for him in that instant. That was all it took for her to miss the abrupt decline that sent her pitching forward as she lost her footing.

His satisfied male grin vanished from his face when he realized she was falling, and his hand lashed out to grasp her arm and avert her fall. "Ayame!"

All too quickly he found their combined momentum was too great to stop so fast and they began to fall down the slope in a tangle of limbs. The hill was steep and the ground rough, battering the two of them as tumbled. Ayame quickly lost any sense of direction as the world spun around her; the only sensation she was aware of was the scratch of the underbrush as she rolled.

The fall ended as swiftly as it had started, and Ayame soon found herself flat on her back, pinned beneath Kōga's surprisingly heavy body in a thatch of vibrant green grass. She groaned as her vision continued to swirl, her surroundings nothing but a blur of trees and sky. She tried to move after a moment only to discover her legs snared by Kōga's, effectively trapping her.

_Great._

He had yet to stir by the time her sight had settled, and she felt an instant of panic at the thought that he had somehow lost consciousness. His head was resting against her left shoulder so close to her neck that she couldn't see his face. She tentatively lifted her free hand and smoothed it along his inky, black hair. Briefly distracted by how silken his hair felt to touch, Ayame froze when she became aware of the fact she was being scented.

Her heart began an erratic staccato in her chest as Kōga gently nuzzled against her neck, and her body registered that his hands were moving as well. A calloused palm grazed up along her right thigh, sneaking its way under her wolf pelt skirt. The other had brushed down the arm he was still pinning to slightly lift himself and his weight off of her and onto his shifted legs.

Ayame still found herself considerably pinned and knew she should have been a frenzied mess trying to get him off, but she couldn't. Instead, her female will leapt forward, and she was making it far too easy for his rough hands to gain access to her rear by bending her leg. A purring growl vibrated through her chest when that hand squeezed gently and his burning tongue dipped into the hollow of her throat. As that searing tongue swathed a path up her neck to her jaw, she knew she had achieved so much more than her goal with her little game.

Kōga's icy blue eyes were unfocused when she finally caught a glimpse of them, and she knew the fog of their combined male and female proclivity was clouding both their judgment. Ayame found that she didn't care; she had imagined this moment more times than she would ever honestly admit to.

His earthy, masculine scent was driving her mad. Her hands responded to his mirrored growl of contentment by simultaneously twining in the thickness of his tied back hair and caressing the flesh of his shoulders left exposed by his armor. He nipped at her ear in retaliation, his nose burying into her copper hair. Her back arched into him and he drew his left thigh up, brushed deliberately against her center and making her gasp.

"Kōga."

The wolf in question went still at the breathy sound of his name, and Ayame suddenly lost the heady euphoria dulling her senses. The rigid tension spreading throughout Kōga's body almost brought tears to her eyes.

"Shit."

He uttered the word so quietly she could barely hear it, even with his mouth just inches from her ear. It took all of her will to swallow the petulant whine that threatening to leap from her parted lips, but she shoved it down, as well as her disappointment. "Kōga-"

This time he bolted, using every ounce of that notorious speed to propel himself away from her body. "I…I…" His throat worked as he forced himself to swallow. "I didn't…"

Ayame sat up and used a moment to settle herself before cleaning any debris from the fall from her clothes and hair. She chose her words carefully. "I'm not angry, Kōga." She slipped to her feet with as much dignity and grace as her noble blood could muster. "It happened in the heat of the moment."

Her calm did little to ease the stricken look on his face. "But I-"

"I started the game with the intention of getting you to act like the wolf you are." She forced a smile on her face. "It just worked better than I thought it would."

Kōga just stared at her a moment and spoke cautiously. "You're really not upset?"

Ayame knew he could probably smell her dismay and shrugged. "It would have happened to any male and female wolf. Our instincts are all the same, so no harm done."

He nodded and took a deep breath. "So, I guess we should keep moving?"

She smiled brilliantly at him as Tokkan appeared and rubbed against her legs. "Of course. There's no more time to waste on games."

* * *

 

Rin watched the sun rise for the third time since Sesshōmaru left her humiliated in the dirt. The flaming sphere crested the tree line and bathed the small camp Kagome had set up days before with its warming light. It did little to chase the stalwart chill that clung to Inu no Taishō's fortress and she turned toward the dying fire. Gathering a handful of kindling and twigs from the small pile Inuyasha had managed to collect the day before, Rin stoked the flames until the heat permeated the heavy blanket she wore. It was the only way she could tell that the fire offered anything to her camp mates who were nestled together on the other side of tiny blaze.

She couldn't stop the pang of envy that struck her as she gazed on her sleeping companions. The sight of Inuyasha possessively anchoring Kagome against his chest in his sleep was almost more than she can bear in light of how roughly her own love had treated her days before.

And she did love him, no matter how powerful her anger.

Rin drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, dropping her chin to rest on them. It had happened all so fast that she had spent the last couple days reviewing every bit over and over. She had reached the same conclusion every time: that Sesshōmaru felt something toward her despite his harsh words. The fact he had responded to both of her pleas proved it to her.

She knew better than anyone – Inuyasha as the only possible exception – how little Sesshōmaru thought of mercy. The dai-yōkai always made good on his threats. The fact that both she and Inuyasha were still living were a testament to the notion he, at the very least, felt a semblance of respect toward them. She knew without a doubt that Sesshōmaru respected Inuyasha for his strength. However, she was at a loss as to what quality she possessed that could possibly earn her the same favor.

She was just a lowly human with no notable worth to anyone. Even Kagome had earned his respect because of her priestess power, but what it was about her that had stayed his hand had left her terribly vexed.

The answer had come to her suddenly while she was retrieving water with A-Un. She had been sitting on the stream's bank staring at her reflection in the water when the realization flitted through her brain. Sesshōmaru respected her spirit, and the more she contemplated it, the more she was certain it was the one quality about her that led him to keep her with him all those years.

That one recognition sparked an epiphany, and Rin found she suddenly understood everything. She knew why he had cast her aside to remain in that village with that hellish old woman. She knew why he had endured the ravishing of the barrier to battle Mōryōmaru. She knew why he heard her call and returned to himself before he killed Inuyasha.

She also knew why he had so ruthlessly rejected her when she defied him.

It went against all things yōkai to love a human. He was desperately trying to sever their connection because he feared it.Rin snorted softly. He's wasn’t the only one.

Movement caught her eye, and she looked up as Kagome shifted in her sleep, turning her body toward the warmth of the flames. A contented sigh escaped her as Inuyasha's arm tightened about her middle.

Rin dropped her eyes from the endearing display, disgusted by her own jealousy. She knew she couldn't consciously stop it from welling up within her, but it was practically constant with how affectionate her two companions had been over the past couple of days. Their love for one another was apparent in everything they did, even when Kagome had spent forever murmuring adoring words as she tended his many grave wounds.

The worst, though, had been a few hours after Inuyasha finally woke up from poison-induced unconsciousness and found Kagome polishing Kikyō’s broken bow.

" _Kagome?" Inuyasha's normally rough timbre was subdued as he spoke. "Are you alright?"_

_Kagome's trembling hands seemed to still on the black wood of the bow, her deep brown eyes glittering with unshed tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."_

" _I don't mind. I feel like I've been sleeping forever." His amber gaze softened. "You know I hate it when you cry, Kagome."_

_Her grip tightened on the bow until her knuckles went white. "It's just… I couldn't…" Her voice broke as a sob seized her throat. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I let Kikyō die."_

_The hanyō was quiet for a few minutes before he reached out with the hand that wasn't swathed in bandages to stop her hands from worrying the bow. "What happened?"_

" _She defended Rin and me from Mōryōmaru." Kagome struggled to keep from breaking down into tears. "He broke her fragile body and I couldn't do anything to save her. She said she was sorry for all the wrongs she had committed."_

_Inuyasha absorbed that a moment and then nodded. "She left this world on her own terms. That sounds like Kikyō."_

_Kagome bowed her head as the tears spilled unchecked from her eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her, Inuyasha."_

_His arm grasped her shoulder and dragged her up against his chest. "Stop blaming yourself, Kagome. Kikyō’s life was a torment and now she's at peace. I came to grips with the idea a long time ago that that was where she was supposed be and she wouldn't want you to mourn her passing." He tenderly brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Now stop crying, wench."_

Rin had been able to hear their whispers from her pallet on the other side of the fire and quietly slipped away before she witnessed anymore. It had hurt to see them together and know that she would mostly likely never be comforted in such a way if she was to have Sesshōmaru. The idea of him giving even the slightest affectionate gesture seemed like a downright impossibility.

Her honey eyes gazed across the crackling fire and wondered if Sesshōmaru would ever hold her like that when they slept.

The thought ignited the rage she had been quelling for days and Rin knew she needed to calm down. She was only mad at one particular dai-yōkai, and it wouldn't do well for her to take it out on her innocent friends. She held no ill will toward Inuyasha and Kagome at all; she was immensely grateful for their aid. Despite how much she envied their relationship, she was happy for them. They deserved to experience love as much as anyone.

Rin got to her feet and tightened her blanket around her shoulders. A morning stroll with A-Un just might do the trick to relaxing her.

* * *

 

Kagome didn't open her eyes until she heard A-Un's muted bleating from through the wall. She had just barely cracked her eyes when she rolled toward the fire discovered Rin watching them. The awkwardness of the situation had led her to feign sleep until the girl vanished for her usual morning walk.

It wasn't the first time she had caught the girl watching her with Inuyasha, a pained expression on her face. Rin usually caught herself when she was staring and blushed as she went about whatever it was she was doing at the time, but Kagome couldn't miss the intense look of longing in her soft, honeyed eyes. At present, that look was either preceded or followed by an unguarded sneer of rage.

As a woman, it wasn't hard for Kagome to pinpoint the reason behind Rin's anger. Once her deductions were finished, she had made a point of sparing the girl as much inadvertent hurt as she could. It was a harder task than she had anticipated with Inuyasha's unanticipated appetite for her affections. She had thought he would be reserved in the company of others, as he had been when they had been traveling before, but he seemed to know exactly what he wanted with the maturity he'd gained while she was gone.

That was beside the fact he was a greedy bastard.

Kagome grinned as she gently pried herself loose from his tight hold, a soft growl of dismay drifting from his throat when she was free. Thankfully, he remained sleeping and she was spared his berating her about safety. She dropped a gentle kiss to his temple before wrapping the thick, winter kimono Rin had uncovered over her own freshly washed haori, and stood to start on her tasks.

The first few hours after Sesshōmaru had gone were the hardest ones she'd faced, including the many spent fighting Naraku's minions. It had taken nearly all her and Rin's strength combined to lift Inuyasha onto A-Un's back to carry him to where she had chosen to set up a camp. She had decided on a small alcove of a room off the main hall that lay in ruins. It appeared to be nothing more than a servant's quarters with what looked to be at least a bed inside. Once she had pulled together enough fabric to make a makeshift pallet on the floor, she sent Rin to gather anything useful she could find while she tended to the hanyō’s broken body.

She had been overjoyed to discover her satchel, along with her bow, slung on the twin-headed dragon's saddle. Since she had an antiseptic wash with which to clean Inuyasha's wounds, she hadn't needed to find water right away. She rationed her bandages for his worst wounds – the fang bite at his hip and the slashes to his chest and abdomen. The stab wound he'd received the day before was only weeping blood and on the mend, so she just cleaned it as best she could. The poisoned scratches on his throat she left uncovered; she wanted them to drain the venom as his body healed them.

The most difficult part was figuring out what to do with his broken arm. The bones of his forearm were snapped cleanly in a multitude of places, and she had to force her nausea aside in order to set them as well as she could manage. She still wasn't entirely sure they were healing right, but he had assured her that he'd be fine. She could only take him at his word with all the horrible injuries he'd suffered and she'd tended to through the years.

Rin had made two trips by the time she had finished with Inuyasha, and together they had set up a functioning camp. A-Un had graciously provided them with a fire, and Rin had procured enough cloth to provide bedding, fresh clothes, and clean bandages for Inuyasha's wounds. Sesshōmaru’s pet dragon proved to be an even greater asset when he brought them a catch of fish. With the couple of reserve water bottles tucked away in her satchel, they had been able to sleep fitfully through the night.

Kagome had quickly discovered her ankle was more injured than she'd originally thought, waking to a hugely swollen joint and ugly, mottled skin. After she had tended to Inuyasha, she had gone to the stream where A-Un had caught the fish and sat for nearly an hour with her foot submerged in the icy water. Coupled with a few painkillers, she managed to hobble about to cook and boil clean water in the pan Rin had found in the wreckage.

Kagome sighed as she retrieved some left over fish from the night before and set to warming it over the fire. The young girl had been absolutely invaluable. Kagome knew she would be in a much worse situation if it weren't for Rin's help, and it bothered her that she could nothing to help the girl in return. In spite of that, Rin constantly thanked her and Inuyasha when he finally woke. No amount of reassurance would ease the girl's need to express her gratitude.

A telling rustle of fabric told her that Inuyasha was finally stirring. Kagome grinned as she glanced back over her shoulder at him. "Morning."

"Hmm…" His amber eyes slipped shut again as he scented the air. "Let me guess…fish?"

"Your powers of deduction are dazzling."

His eyes narrowed at her accusingly. "Feh."

"I don't enjoy eating the same thing three days in a row either, you know." She held out a piece of blackened fish to him.

He sat up gingerly and accepted the food without further comment, practically swallowing it whole. "Where's Rin?"

Kagome limped back over to their bed and plopped down beside him, holding out more fish. "She went on her morning walk."

"I don't like the idea of her being out there alone."

"She has A-Un with her." Kagome nibbled on her own fish as she watched him swiftly down two more pieces. "Nothing's happened, Inuyasha."

The hanyō eyed her as she ate. "Yet. A-Un won't put up much of a fight if Sesshōmaru decides to show his fucking face."

She shrugged as she finished her breakfast and reached for a bottle of water. She took a long draught before handing it to him, pleased when he finished it. "I'm not exactly sure it would be our place to interfere."

"Oh, but it’s okay for that prick to stick his nose wherever he wants?"

Kagome sighed as she reached up and brushed his curtain of silver hair aside to check the scratches to his neck. "You know as well as I do that he won't hurt her." She swatted at his attempts to brush her hands away. "If he couldn't do it when deliberately provoked, then he won't when he isn't."

"I'm so glad you have so much faith in that piece of dog shit."

She ignored his sarcasm as she noted that his swelling was going down and the cuts were no longer oozing. "These look much better."

"Keh." Inuyasha snorted. "As if that weakling's poison could actually do anything to me."

Kagome refrained from reminding him that he spent that first night in a feverish, sweating fit and moved her attention to the vicious slashes to his torso. Each one was a blaze of bright pink, healing skin, and she knew they would fade in color until his skin was once again flawless.

She sighed and pointed at the low slung waist of his pants. "Lie down."

His ears flattened with irritation. "I'm not a fucking house pet."

"Just do it, Inuyasha." She shrugged off the heavy kimono to free up her arms.

"Fine."

She shook her head in exasperation as she went about inspecting his injuries. The stab wound he'd gotten from Akago was almost fully healed with all but the most superficial flesh knitted. It would no longer need any care. The bite to his hip, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The wound was still deep and bleeding, so she went about cleaning it and replacing the old bandage, noting each and every flicker of pain that crossed Inuyasha's face.

She taped the bandage down. "Sorry. I'm done now."

"I'll live." He sat up again and snagged her around the waist before she could move away. He hauled her against him, mindful of his wounds, and leaned against the wall behind him. "It's cold."

Kagome nodded into his shoulder, her left hand resting on his chest while her right slipped to down to wrap around his lower back. She tucked her denim-sheathed legs up underneath her and relaxed to the sound of his heart beating under her ear. A question that had been nagging at her the night before popped into her brain as she ran her fingers back and forth on the soft skin of his lean chest.

"What do you think happened to the others?"

Inuyasha sighed. "I don't really know, but I think Miroku and Sango are resourceful enough to make it through anything."

"I hope you're right." Her hand stilled. "Shippō and Kirara were with them."

"They're fine, Kagome." The arm he'd wrapped around her shoulders squeezed. "Trust me."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Right. I can't be second-guessing anything, but we have to find them before we go after Naraku."

His claws dragged lazily along her hip. "Alright."

"Rin told me she wants to come with us whenever we leave."

"Really? When did she tell you that?"

Kagome nuzzled closer to him. "That first night. It was after she had gone out and found all those supplies in this place."

"Huh, I figured she'd wanna stay close to my asshole brother."

"You haven't noticed it?" She turned her face up to look into his tawny eyes. "She's so angry she'd probably try to strangle him if she saw him. I've never seen her so full of rage before."

"Well, she hides it pretty damn well."

"No, you just wouldn't know unless you were looking for it."

His brow furrowed as he gazed down at her. "Speaking from experience?"

Kagome gave a subtle shrug and looked away toward the fire. "I guess you could say that." She watched the flames flicker for a moment before returning her umber eyes to meet his. "But I don't want to dwell on what happened in the past. None of that matters anymore because I have you now."

He regarded her cautiously, a fang peeking through his lips. "Tricky wench."

"What? You don't trust me?" The young priestess couldn't help the cheeky grin that spread across her face. "I think I'm insulted."

The hanyō easily caught the playful gleam in her eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yes." She shifted so she was straddling his thigh and her hands were laced behind his neck. A lock of her dark hair fell from the knot on top of her head to frame the right side of her pouted face. "You can make it up to me, though."

"Really?" Inuyasha's arm slithered around her waist to bring the softness of her breasts against his steely chest, conscious of his battered body. "How?"

Kagome buried her hands into his thick mane of hair as he brought his lips down onto the exposed column of her throat. "Oh, I like that." She reached up to rub the base of his ears, her body humming under his touch. "But I think I want a kiss too."

His teeth grazed along her fragile skin, his hand slipping under the folds of her haori to caress the skin along her spine. "Greedy wench, too."

"Who can blame me?" She shivered as his breath feathered along her shoulders, her eyes hooded when he pulled back to look at her. Her hands dropped from his ears to take hold on either side of his strong jaw. "I get to kiss you."

She watched his tourmaline gaze sharpen on her enraptured expression, his chest matching hers as their breathing grew heavy. "That makes you a spoiled wench."

Kagome couldn't contain her haughty chuckle. "So be it."

As Inuyasha proceeded to spoil her senseless, she really, really hoped Rin had taken the scenic route that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tokkan loosely translates as "charge" or "rush"


End file.
